


Someone Worth Staying For

by teamheretic



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Depression, F/F, High School AU, Lizzie Saltzman Needs a Hug, Slow Burn, hizzie endgame, new student hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26277469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamheretic/pseuds/teamheretic
Summary: Lizzie has been ostracized and bullied relentlessly at school ever since she was a child due to her emotional outbursts. Things take a turn for the worse after she is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When the new transfer student, Hope, finds herself determined to become Lizzie's friend, will Lizzie let down her walls for the new girl?
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 285
Kudos: 229





	1. Prologue: The Diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back with a new fic. 
> 
> I loved everyone's feedback from my last story so I decided to write another one! Hope you enjoy

“Dr. Saltzman, Ms. Forbes,” called the reception desk lady. “The psychiatrist wants to see you now.” 

Caroline and Alaric walked together down the long hallway, toward the psychiatrist’s office, where their daughter and her new doctor were waiting. The two parents had been anxiously waiting for the results of Lizzie’s psychiatric evaluation. Caroline’s best friend, Bonnie Bennett, had recommended this particular doctor after Lizzie had a psychological break that left her sister, Josie, scared for her twin’s safety. Desperate to help their daughter, Caroline and Alaric gave Lizzie an ultimatum: be sent to the hospital where they’d put her in a psychiatric ward, or go willingly to a psychiatrist and receive therapy. Lizzie, begrudgingly, chose the latter. 

They opened the door to find Lizzie sitting on a couch, bouncing her leg up and down, waiting impatiently while the psychiatrist typed on his computer. When they heard the door creak, they both looked up. 

“Ah, hello,” greeted the doctor. “Thank you for coming.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. She wanted to get the _hell_ out of there. She didn’t need a doctor to tell her what she, and everyone else, already knew: that she was crazy - always had been, always will be. She only went to the appointment to placate her parents. She sighed internally, remembering the situation that landed her in a psychiatrist’s office to begin with.

**

Lizzie had come home, reeling from an especially difficult day at school. She was used to the mocking, teasing, and physical assaults that plagued her almost daily, however, sometimes it all piled up and she inevitably exploded. Today was one of those days, but something in her had snapped. 

She had been shoved into a locker, called crazy for the 800th time, and punched in the stomach. Usually she didn’t have the strength, emotionally or physically, to fight back, but seeing the amused looks on, what should have been, her peers’ faces made her infuriated. She looked at the ringleader dead in the eyes and punched her right in the face. She felt proud of herself for finally standing up to her bullies, but her celebration was cut short when she heard a teacher’s booming voice behind her

“Saltzman, principal’s office, now!” 

Lizzie wanted to cry. She had just been beaten up and she was the one being punished for it; the real culprits walked away, smirks on their faces. Lizzie made her way to the principal’s office, legs heavy and feeling hopeless. She explained her situation to the principal, who never cared to begin with, and received a lecture plus a two-day suspension for acting in her own self-interest for once. Lizzie was so defeated that she didn’t bother going to her last class of the day, deciding to walk right through the doors of the school and go home. As soon as she got home, the severity of the situation had finally hit her. She tossed her backpack somewhere in the living room and broke down screaming and crying. She sobbed for what seemed like hours and when she regained her bearings, she had found herself in the kitchen, holding a knife. She put her head down on the kitchen counter, mumbling about how she wanted to die, for everything to be _over_ , and still clutching the knife. That’s how Josie had found her. Lizzie hadn’t realized her sister had come home until she felt someone yank the knife out of her hand. Josie had been called to the principal’s office after Lizzie left and was told about her sister’s suspension. 

Lizzie looked up and saw her sister staring at her in horror and concern. She let Josie lead her to her room, tucking her in bed. Lizzie fell asleep relatively quickly, and while she was asleep her sister must have talked to their parents, because as soon as she woke up her mom had announced that she and Alaric were taking the next two days off work to get Lizzie some help. That’s how she ended up in a too-brightly lit psychiatrist's office on the first day of her suspension, being scrutinized and questioned.

**

Caroline sat down next to her daughter on the couch, placing a hand on her thigh. Alaric had taken the armchair next to them, waiting for the doctor to speak. 

“I’d like to discuss my assessment of your daughter,” he said in a grave voice. _Does he have to be so dramatic?,_ Lizzie thought. _Just get on with it._

“Lizzie has experienced a lot of trauma over the years, stemming from early childhood. She told me her story and first of all, I’d like to say that I am so sorry, no one should have to experience that.” Caroline nodded empathetically. “Secondly, based on her questionnaire and these “emotional outbursts” that she described, I can conclude that your daughter has bipolar disorder.” 

Lizzie froze at that. She finally had a name to describe why her emotions were so uncontrollable. She let herself feel a little bit of hope, believing that having a diagnosis meant that there was a chance she could get better, and that she wasn’t the only one struggling. 

Alaric sat up in the chair after hearing the diagnosis. “So, what does that mean?” 

The psychiatrist shuffled through a file, giving Lizzie’s parents pamphlets and other informative papers. “Let me explain…” 

Lizzie only heard bits and pieces of the following conversation, too busy trying to wrap her head around what she had just heard. In the end, she left the office with a pile of papers and pamphlets, relieved parents, and some pills that were apparently going to help keep her tumultuous mind at bay. She didn’t really know what to think; on one hand, she should be happy that her parents were well informed and that they had a plan of action, but on the other hand, confirming that there was, in fact, something wrong with her and there was no cure for it left her with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

After the three of them got home, her mother informed Josie of what happened at the psychiatrist, and after having Josie fuss over her for what felt like an eternity, Lizzie got ready for bed. Her dad had contacted the therapist the doctor had recommended and made Lizzie an appointment for first thing the next morning. Her suspension was only for two days, but these two days had the potential to improve Lizzie’s life tenfold; she could return to school on her way to becoming a changed person, a _happier_ person.

Maybe things were looking up for her.


	2. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie goes to therapy for the first time

She kind of liked therapy. 

Lizzie had been skeptical about it; she didn’t like the idea of someone hearing her deepest, darkest secrets because they were being paid to. Lizzie didn’t have a choice, though. She didn’t have anyone to talk about her feelings with; her parents were busy and Josie wouldn’t understand. If anything, she tried to go in with an open mind, because the therapy wouldn’t work unless she was willing to put in the effort. At least that’s what the psychiatrist had told her. 

Stepping out of her father’s car, she took a deep breath. This was her new start. Even though her parents had practically shoved back-to-back doctor’s appointments down her throat, she couldn’t help but feel a little grateful. She had the opportunity to become a better person; someone who wasn’t sad all the time, someone who people liked to be around. 

The appointment itself wasn’t too bad. Lizzie wasn’t dumb enough to think that the therapy would work right away, but one conversation later and she felt better - still not great, but it was something. It began with paperwork, and when that was settled, the doctor ushered Lizzie into her office. Lizzie had imagined a scene where she’d lay on the couch and the therapist would ask her how she felt, but was pleasantly surprised when that didn’t happen. The office was spacious, with large windows, some plants decorating the room, and two armchairs facing each other with a glass table in between. 

“Sit, Lizzie,” the therapist said, gesturing to the chairs. “Can I call you Lizzie? Your dad said that’s the name you prefer to go by.” 

Lizzie nodded. She sat down and took a glass of water that was on the table; her mouth suddenly felt dry. She felt the therapist’s eyes follow her every move.

“I’m Dr. Thomas,” the doctor continued, not looking away from Lizzie’s face, as if she was showing Lizzie that she had the doctor’s undivided attention. Lizzie made eye contact with her, which she was seemingly satisfied by, because she started to look through her papers. “Now that all the boring stuff has been settled, let’s talk about why you’re here.” 

Lizzie looked away; she didn’t have the heart to tell Dr. Thomas that she was being forced to attend her sessions. As if the doctor had read her mind, she smiled and said, “That’s just a formality; I know you why you’re here, and I know you probably don’t want to be here, but I am here to help you, as cheesy as that sounds. Your psychiatrist forwarded me your files so you don’t have to recall your experiences again.” 

Lizzie let her tense shoulders drop. “I…,” she cleared her throat. “I guess I needed help and never realized it.” 

Dr. Thomas nodded. “A lot of my patients are like that, especially the younger ones. Experiencing trauma from a young age and having it turn into a regular thing just becomes their version of normal; being unaware that you need help is nothing to be ashamed about. You’re not the first person to think that, nor are you the last.” 

That struck a chord within Lizzie. She never considered therapy as an option to deal with her problems because she was always too busy trying to distract herself and generally just trying to get through the day without falling apart. Being told that she wasn’t alone in her thought process and that she wasn’t an idiot for not considering therapy earlier relieved her more than she liked to admit.

Before they both knew it, an hour had gone by. They had stuck to a generally light conversation for their first session - the doctor asking questions about Lizzie and Lizzie slowly opening up to her. Lizzie really liked her therapist and felt really lucky about it. She had done her research the night prior, and read that sometimes people go through multiple therapists (accompanied by various horror stories) before they found the right one. Dr. Thomas seemed like a good fit for Lizzie, and she celebrated internally; she had two good things happen to her in a two-day period, and she mentally thanked her useless principal for suspending her. 

The therapist looked at her watch, frowning when she realized that the session was over. She stood up, as did Lizzie, and she walked Lizzie to the door. 

“It was nice getting to know you, Lizzie. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, if you choose to return.” As Lizzie opened the door, the doctor called out to her again. “And Lizzie?” She turned around; Dr. Thomas was looking at her intently. 

“I really hope you come back.”

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful. Her dad had picked up food for the family on the way home and they all ate in relative silence. Lizzie could tell that everyone was eager to hear about her first therapy experience, but she felt as though therapy was supposed to be private, and not just something to discuss openly during a family dinner. She’d tell them if they asked, however, but she wasn’t going to go around talking about it unprovoked. 

Lizzie cleaned up after she was done eating and headed up to her room to get ready for bed. As soon as she was in her pajamas she heard someone knock on her door; it was Josie. Lizzie was kind of surprised by that; she and her sister didn’t talk much - not since Lizzie started getting bullied. The twins were inseparable when they were younger, eating together, playing together, you name it. It all started crumbling when Lizzie had her first “freakout” when they were 12. The other kids were afraid of her at first, scared that she’d lash out and hurt them, then when it was clear that she wouldn’t, they started making fun of her. Josie tried her best to defend her sister, but then they started to harass her too; the last thing Lizzie wanted was for her sister to be miserable because of her, so she told Josie to back off and let it be. Josie relented, but it turned out to be the worst choice that she had ever made. 

When they moved onto middle school, Lizzie had hoped that she’d have space away from her bullies, or that they'd find someone else to pick on, as horrible as that sounds. Of course, because of Lizzie’s shitty luck, that didn’t happen. 

She ended up having classes with them, and because they became the “popular” students, Lizzie didn’t stand a chance when the rumors started around the school that she was unhinged and everyone should steer clear of her. Lizzie had let herself hope, again, when she got to high school; a bigger school meant that she rarely had to see her fellow middle school students, right? Absolutely wrong. She thought that their childhood immaturity would wear off and they’d finally leave her alone. That’s how her life had been for the past six years, being tormented and isolated for emotions that couldn’t control. 

The one good thing about this situation, in Lizzie’s opinion, was Josie. When she started keeping her distance from Lizzie at school, Josie’s life improved. The other kids started asking her to hang out with them; being attached at the hip, Josie tried to put in a good word for her sister, hoping she wouldn’t be left out, but their classmates wouldn’t hear it. By the time they got to high school, everyone had forgotten that they were twins; Lizzie was grateful that they didn’t look alike. They didn’t exactly have a very common last name, but no one asked questions because they were rarely seen together. Lizzie had made it clear to her sister that she wanted Josie to stay as far away from her as possible at school; Lizzie was afraid that having her twin stick up for her would lead to Josie getting bullied by association. So Josie watched as her sister came home, beaten and bruised nearly every day, the light slowly fading from her eyes. Their parents tried to intervene, and took numerous visits to the school, but their complaints fell on deaf ears. 

Josie slowly walked into Lizzie’s room, shutting the door behind her. Lizzie hated that her sister seemed to walk on eggshells when she was around her; Lizzie wasn’t fragile by any means, and not many people can endure the absolute hell she went through every day. She sat down on the edge of her bed, waiting for her sister to speak. 

“So, uh, how was therapy?” Lizzie gave her a small smile. She knew her sister still cared, even though the brunette had been plagued by guilt for several years now. 

“It was...great! I really like my therapist.” 

Josie perked up upon hearing that. Her sister rarely got excited about anything anymore, and even though Lizzie wasn’t exactly jumping for joy, Josie knew she was happy.

“Really? That’s amazing, Liz!” Josie gave her sister a hug. She, more than anyone, wanted Lizzie to get better, because she couldn’t be truly happy unless her sister was. 

Lizzie nodded. She said quietly, “I think things are finally going to get better, Jo.” 

Josie smiled softly at her. She yawned and stood up, deciding that it was time to go to bed. She left, but not before giving Lizzie a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight, Lizzie.” 

“Goodnight, Josie.” Lizzie made herself comfortable under the covers. Her sister’s excitement was infectious, and Lizzie tried to keep herself from squealing like a little girl. Tomorrow she’d return to school, and even though her main issue was still prevalent, suddenly, dealing with the bullies didn’t seem like such a chore. She drifted off to sleep, and for the first time in a very long time, she looked forward to her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like Dr. Thomas, she's going to make more appearances
> 
> Don't worry Hope will be in the next chapter :)
> 
> I don't have a set schedule for updates, but with school starting up again, some chapters may take longer to update than others.


	3. Freakshow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something important gets revealed at school; Lizzie and Hope meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I decided to update again since classes started today and I expect to get my ass kicked with schoolwork soon.

Lizzie woke up in a great mood; this was the first time she wasn’t completely dreading returning to school. She got up bright and early (earlier than Josie, so that was saying something), showered, got dressed, and went downstairs to have some breakfast. Her parents would be long gone by the time the twins left for school, so Lizzie poured herself some cereal and waited for her sister to come down. She saw an envelope on the kitchen counter with a note attached to it.

_Lizzie,_

_This is a letter from your psychiatrist. Please take it with you to school and drop it off at the front office._

_Love you,_

_Mom_

Lizzie put the envelope in her backpack. She figured it contained her diagnosis and information about the medication she was taking. 

After a while, Josie came down, grumbling about how it took her forever to fall asleep. Lizzie waited until her sister finished eating, and they got in the car, talking and laughing on their way to school. Lizzie was happy; it was nice to feel like she had a sister and not just a roommate. After Lizzie parked in the school’s parking lot, they went about their usual routine. Josie got out of the car, walking toward the main entrance, and Lizzie would follow once Josie was in the school and out of sight. Lizzie had told herself, over and over again, that it was for her sister’s protection, even though Lizzie desperately wished that she wouldn’t have to navigate through the crowded halls alone. She wouldn’t see her sister again until the end of the day, and Lizzie sighed. Mornings are when she felt the most lonely. 

She made her way to the front office, head down and trying to blend in. The front hallway was where the cheerleaders and jocks hung around before class started. By some miracle, no one had spotted her as she opened the door to the office. She rolled her eyes as she saw who was working the front desk this morning. 

“What’s the matter, freakshow? Why the long face?” sneered Dana. That _bitch_ , as Lizzie preferred to call her, named Dana Lilien, was the bane of Lizzie’s existence. Dana had been one of the bullies that had been tormenting her from the very beginning. It started with Dana and a couple of her minions, then her group grew and grew, until she had a good chunk of the student body wrapped around her finger. Everyone knew she wasn’t a saint, though, known for always getting into trouble; that’s probably why she was working the front desk to begin with - some sort of punishment for whatever Dana did this time. 

“Where’s Mrs. Garcia?” asked Lizzie. Mrs. Garcia was the front desk receptionist, and Lizzie’s favorite faculty member. Lizzie spent a lot of time at the front office, either waiting to be called into the principal’s office for yet another confrontation, or waiting for one of her parents to pick her up from school after an especially terrible day. Mrs. Garcia saw how miserable Lizzie was and gave her a candy bar every time she took a trip to the office, and even tried to intervene on her behalf by calling the school board, but like her parents’ efforts, nothing ever worked. 

It was Dana’s turn to roll her eyes. “She won’t be here for another hour, so what the hell do you want?”

Lizzie took the envelope out of her backpack and nearly shoved it in Dana’s face. “This is for her. Just tell her it’s important.” 

Dana took it, hesitantly, as if she were afraid that she’d catch Lizzie’s “craziness” if she touched whatever Lizzie did. 

Lizzie turned around and walked away, stopping at the door. “Dana?” 

“What?”

“Go to hell.” Lizzie opened the door and left, feeling proud of herself. She had no idea where this newfound confidence came from, but it felt good. 

  
Dana fumed. She _was_ going to leave the envelope alone and go about her day, but being the raging bitch that she was, she decided to open it, curious to know what Lizzie Saltzman was hiding.

* * *

Hope was...lost. Her new school was way bigger than the one she went to back home in New Orleans. So far she had made three wrong turns and ended up on the second floor when her class was on the first. Fortunately, some kind soul took pity on her. 

“Hey, do you need help? You look kinda lost.” 

Hope let out a breath, relieved. “Yes, thank you.” 

“I’m Landon, by the way,” the boy said, holding out his hand. 

Hope shook it. She looked at her schedule. “I’m looking for Mr. Roberts’ class.” 

Landon took a look at her schedule. “AP Literature. You’re one of the smart ones, huh?” 

Hope laughed then shrugged. “I’m a bookworm, I guess.” 

Landon smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you the way. If you’d like I can also walk you to each of your classes until you get your bearings.” 

“That would be amazing, thank you!” Hope was relieved; if the people here were as nice as this boy, then maybe moving to Mystic Falls wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

The two walked downstairs and took a left, stopping at the third door on the left side of the hall, where students were walking into a classroom. Hope mentally shook her head; the class was located in the same hallway as the main entrance, right where she began. She should really pay more attention to her surroundings unless she wanted to take another unnecessary expedition. 

“Well, this is it. I’ll meet you out here after class.” 

“Thank you again, Landon. It was nice meeting you.” Landon nodded and walked to his own class. Hope entered the classroom and sat down at a random desk near the front, opening up her notebook. 

She ended up really liking this class; the teacher emphasized that there would be more reading than anything else, which was fine by Hope. She was more of a “read more, interact less” kind of person. And as promised, Landon had walked her every class, even stopping to introduce her to one of his friends, MG, who invited her to eat with them at lunch the next day. 

Hope was feeling very welcome and less anxious by the end of the day. She had made a couple of new friends, which surprised her a lot; she wasn’t the most social person. Hope was really looking forward to how the rest of the year would turn out, considering how well her first day had gone.

She woke up the next day in high spirits. She was excited for her art class; yesterday, the teacher gave her a brief introduction and let her do whatever she wanted. Hope observed what the other students were doing and was eager to begin the following day’s work. Today, they would work on painting, which Hope was amazing at, not that she bragged about it. The school had high end art supplies and canvases and Hope nearly squealed when she saw them. Unfortunately, it was her last class of the day, so Hope had to wait patiently. 

At lunch, Landon had found her and walked her over to his table, where MG was waiting, along with a boy and a girl, who introduced themselves as Kaleb and his sister Kym, as well as another girl named Josie. Hope had a blast; they were all funny and they asked about her and her life in New Orleans. Before she knew it, lunch was over and it was time to head to the next class, which she found out she had with Kym, who walked with her. When it was over she said goodbye to Kym and practically ran to the art room. The teacher let them paint whatever they wanted as their first assignment and Hope tried her best not to show off; she ended up painting the French Quarter, and was extremely proud of how it turned out. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Hope hadn’t kept track of the time, and she cursed herself when she realized she still had to clean up the brushes and put her supplies away. She ended up leaving ten minutes after everyone else. As she was approaching the exit, she heard a commotion; she turned her head to the right and stumbled upon a horrific sight.

* * *

Lizzie’s day had been normal; not her version of normal where at least three people would “accidentally” bump into her or give her dirty looks, but the regular normal. She was surprised when it was lunchtime and not a single person had paid any attention to her. She thought about it and hoped that someone had either prayed for a miracle on her behalf (maybe that’s where Mrs. Garcia went), or whatever spiritual deity that was out there had mercy on her and decided to enact divine intervention. Whatever it was, things were too quiet for Lizzie’s liking. She should’ve enjoyed it while it lasted, though, because by the end of the day, her life had taken a turn for the worse. 

  
The whispers began before the last class of the day; she noticed that people were huddled over, looking at their phones and giving her looks as she walked by. Some people even turned around and walked the same way they came from when they saw her coming. Lizzie frowned; this was different. No one ever went out of their way to the point where they’d rather walk in a different direction than get near her. She had been confused all throughout her last class, that is, until she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket; it was an email from someone she didn’t know. She opened it and saw a picture of what she assumed to be the letter from the psychiatrist. Lizzie was equal parts angry and terrified; she should’ve known better than to hand an important document over to someone who hated her. She put her phone away and bolted right as the bell rang, heading right for her locker. She needed to _leave._

_Oh, god. Everyone knows._

In her haste, Lizzie got the combination wrong twice; she should’ve left immediately, before anyone found her, but she needed her books. She knew it was too late, however, when she heard snickering behind her. 

Alyssa Chang and the group of clowns she called friends were gathered behind her. Alyssa held up her phone, the picture displayed. 

“Guess you really are a lost cause, huh? We knew you had issues, but we didn’t know that you were _this_ fucked up in the head.” 

Lizzie tried to say something, but Alyssa grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the locker, leaving a dent in it. The last class had ended a while ago, so all of the students were gone, save for the ones who stayed after studying; there was no one around to save her.

Lizzie somehow managed to stay on her feet, and she braced herself, because she knew there was more than that coming.

“No words, freak?” Another slam into the locker. “Don’t worry, won’t your mood change in an hour anyway?” Someone kneed Lizzie in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground. They continued to beat her, and Lizzie felt blood coming out of her mouth and nose. She was in extreme pain, and was ready to pass out, when she heard a voice, and her assaulters stopped and walked away before this new person called a teacher. 

A pair of strong arms helped Lizzie up. Lizzie looked at her savior, and it happened to be the prettiest girl she had ever seen. Once Lizzie regained some clarity, and everything that happened came back to her, she pulled herself away from the girl. 

Hope didn’t say anything as she helped Lizzie to her feet. She looked up to see the damage and was immediately captivated by light blue eyes. She snapped out of her trance when Lizzie recoiled like a cornered animal. Lizzie walked over to her locker, successfully opening it, and took out the first aid kit she kept in there. Hope frowned; she wondered why this girl kept something like that in her locker.

“Are...are you okay?” Hope flinched. It was a stupid question, of course she wasn’t okay, but Hope wasn’t exactly great with words.

Lizzie made eye contact with her and didn’t respond as she cleaned herself up. After she looked somewhat presentable, she responded. “Don’t worry about it, it’s a regular thing.” Lizzie winced, regretting her words. She just told a pretty girl that she had the crap beaten out of her regularly. This could’ve been Lizzie’s opportunity to make a new friend, despite the circumstances; she mentally slapped herself for thinking that. It’s not like Lizzie had a chance with her anyway, since sooner or later she’d find out that Lizzie was the school’s biggest laughingstock and stay as far away from her as possible, just like everyone else. 

Hope was mortified upon hearing Lizzie’s words; it explained why she had enough medical supplies in her locker to last her a year. Hope was angry; no one deserves to be beaten within an inch of their life, especially not at school. Those girls would have left Lizzie for dead, if Hope hadn’t arrived.

Hope saw the car keys in Lizzie’s hand and asked, appalled, “Are you seriously driving?” Hope could tell that Lizzie had a concussion; the poor girl looked dizzy, and based on the amount of blood on her clothes, she also looked like she had just walked away from a car accident. 

Lizzie shook her head. “I have someone else driving me.” She shut her locker and tried to walk away, wincing when she felt pain in her left leg. 

Hope watched her limp away, desperate to do something, anything rather than watch her leave, alone. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked quietly. 

Lizzie turned around and held her stare for several seconds. “No,” she ultimately replied. Hope somehow felt how much weight that one word held. Lizzie moved to walk away, then turned towards Hope again. “T-Thank you for...uh, helping me.” 

Hope nodded, still staring. “I’m Hope, by the way.” 

Lizzie tried to give her a smile, but her face still hurt, so she left without introducing herself. She felt like an asshole; the girl was clearly trying to help and Lizzie disregarded her. The truth was that Lizzie felt embarrassed and unsettled. She was in too much pain to think about it, though, and plopped herself down on the bench outside of the school. She texted Josie, who had stayed after school to help tutor someone, saying that she was outside, waiting for her. Lizzie sat there, her body feeling like it was on fire, and let herself cry, wondering what she did wrong to deserve this treatment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, that was rough for Lizzie
> 
> But Hope and Lizzie finally met! 
> 
> What's Hope going to do from here? 🤔
> 
> Let me know your thoughts


	4. Hope?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope makes a choice. Lizzie deals with the aftermath of yesterday's events.

Lizzie was wiping the last of her tears when Josie found her. Josie was horrified to see the state that her sister was in. She sat down next to Lizzie and put a hand on her arm, causing Lizzie to wince in pain; she wasn’t looking forward to going home and seeing how wrecked her body was. 

“What happened, Liz? Who did this?” Josie’s horror quickly faded, immediately replaced by anger. 

“You haven’t seen the picture?” 

Josie frowned. “No, I haven’t checked my phone since lunch.” 

Lizzie sighed and looked down at her lap. “Well, take a look.” 

Josie pulled out her phone; she opened the email and put two and two together. She looked at her sister, wide-eyed. “Liz, I’m so sorry -” 

Lizzie cut her off, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “You know, I was stupid to think that things were going to get better. My life has been a series of acts of violence against me, and for what? For people like Dana to have a quick laugh at my expense? I never signed up to be tortured, manipulated, and...and ridiculed.” She made eye contact with Josie, hardening her stare. “But I know better now. I know better than to _hope,_ because at the end of the day, I’m just going to be disappointed. Never again, Josie.”

Josie took her sister’s hand, trying to offer some sort of comfort. “Don’t say that, Lizzie. We can get through this, okay?” She didn’t like the fact that it sounded like her sister was giving up. Josie remembered when they were younger; Lizzie was the outgoing twin, helping Josie make friends when she was too shy to even speak. Lizzie had comforted her when that one boy in her third grade class said he didn’t like her back, and when she had her first break up in middle school. Even when her sister was dealing with her own issues, she always made sure to be there for Josie. Now, her twin was in pain and Josie felt helpless, and absolutely useless; there wasn’t much she could do to help, they both knew that, but Josie couldn’t help but feel like she should have tried _harder._ She was the one who sat back and watched her sister get abused, she was the one who never insisted that Lizzie sit with her and her friends at lunch, and worst of all, she never, not once, tried to defend her sister, or clear her name; not since they were 12. All Josie wanted to do now was take her sister away, somewhere far so no one would ever hurt her again. 

Lizzie stood up, stumbling slightly. “Let’s just go home, Jo. I’m exhausted.” 

Josie got up as well, trying to steady her sister. “No, we’re going to a doctor. You could have a broken bone or something.” 

Lizzie shook her head. “They’ll ask questions, and I’m not really in the mood to answer them. Plus, Mom and Dad are going to wonder what took us so long to get home.”

“Mom and Dad are going to ask questions anyway about why you look like you got hit by a car.” 

“They’ll figure it out.” Lizzie knew her parents were used to seeing cuts and bruises on Lizzie; when the insults turned into physical beatdowns, they were the ones who bought Lizzie the first aid kit that she kept in her locker. Lizzie tossed her sister the car keys as they walked to the parking lot. “You’re driving, by the way.” 

Josie narrowed her eyes. “Why?” Lizzie almost never let her drive their car; she claimed that Josie had no spatial awareness when she was in the driver’s seat.

Lizzie looked at her sheepishly. “Judging by the dent in my locker I may or may not be concussed.” 

Josie glared at her. “You don’t think that’s something that, I don’t know, a _doctor,_ should check out?” she hissed at her sister. “What makes you think that I won’t drive us straight to the nearest urgent care facility?”

Lizzie let out a small giggle, then she shrugged. “You wouldn’t want to upset me any more than I already am, right?” She gave Josie her puppy dog eyes. 

Josie rolled her eyes. “Fine, let’s go home.”

* * *

Hope couldn’t stop thinking about the girl she met that day - how something horrible like that could happen in a place where kids were supposed to be “safe”, and how used to it the girl seemed to be. Hope wondered how people could be so cruel to each other; she had never witnessed bullying first hand, and now that she had, she never wanted to see it again. It was absolutely horrible; something straight out of a movie. She wondered if her new friends had ever seen it themselves, or if they even knew the girl. She pulled into her driveway; she parked her car and entered the house, feeling emotionally drained. 

“Hi, sweetheart, how was school?” asked Hope’s mother, Hayley. 

Hope threw her backpack onto the couch and walked into the kitchen, where her mom was making a mid-afternoon snack. Hayley frowned when she saw how tired her daughter looked. 

“What’s wrong? Did you have a bad day? I thought you were excited about your art class.” 

Hope sighed. “I was...it’s just…” She bit her lip. “Have you ever seen someone get, you know, hurt? Like physically?” 

Hayley tilted her head. “Yes, I have. Did you see something like that today?”

Hope nodded. “I saw some girls picking on someone and it got a bit...violent.” She shivered at the memory. “I intervened, and I helped her up, but it’s like she didn’t want me to touch her.”

Hayley thought about it for a minute. “Well, she was probably embarrassed.” When Hope looked at her mother, puzzled, Hayley continued. “A lot of people don’t like feeling vulnerable, especially not in public, and certainly not in front of someone they’ve never met.” 

“I want to talk to her, I just don’t know how. I feel like there’s something that I should do.” 

Hayley smiled at her daughter; Hope had always been an empathetic person, ever since she was a child. “Be careful, Hope,” Hayley warned her. “Dealing with teenagers is no laughing matter, and don’t be discouraged when that girl pushes you away. This probably isn’t the first time that she’s been confronted; that kind of trauma would make anyone wary of others and unwilling to make new friends.” 

Hope looked down at her lap. Hayley walked over and kissed her head. “I’m heading to the gym and I’ve left you some snacks. Make sure you eat something because we’re going out to dinner tonight with your aunts and uncles; you know how late your father and his siblings like to stay out.”

Hope said goodbye to her mom as she left and walked up to her room, thinking about her mother’s advice. She had two options: sit back, leave the girl alone, and watch her get pummeled for the rest of the year, or she can make an effort to be her friend, no matter how hard it would be. Hope sighed; if she chose the latter the least she could do was find out what the girl’s name was. She decided to ask one of her friends tomorrow. Right now, she had a dinner to prepare for.

* * *

Lizzie woke up the following morning with not an ounce of the same enthusiasm as the day before. She fell asleep early, but still managed to wake up late; as Josie yelled at her to hurry up, Lizzie was busy changing her bandages and trying not to look as terrible as she did yesterday. The car ride to school was just as awkward as usual and she was upset that yet again, there was silence between her and her sister. When they arrived at school, Josie turned to her sister. 

“I’m coming in with you today,” Josie stated with determination. 

Lizzie’s head turned to her sister so fast that it was a miracle she didn’t get whiplash. “Absolutely not. I’m not leaving this car until you’re in that building.” 

“Aren’t you tired, Lizzie -” 

Lizzie cut her off. “Let me stop you right there. I am exhausted, Josie. I am tired in so many ways that I didn’t even know existed. But this is how things have to be. We’re going to get through the rest of the year and then we’re gone from this tragic cesspool of teenage hormones. Do you understand?” 

Josie had no choice but to agree. She nodded, and without another word, she left the car. Lizzie let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in and rested her head on the steering wheel. She should’ve eaten something before she left the house; if she passed out in one of the hallways someone would take the opportunity to beat her until she was dead and she wouldn’t even notice. Lizzie wondered why that thought was mildly comforting to her. Shaking her head, she trudged into the school. 

Hope had arrived at school at the same time as MG, so they both walked into the school together. She saw a flash of blonde hair and turned her head in the direction that it was going. The girl from yesterday came into view and she nudged MG. 

“Hey, who’s that girl? The blonde?” 

MG bit his lip. “Oh, that’s uh, Lizzie Saltzman.” MG had a crush on Lizzie back in middle school, but she had rejected his advances and pushed him away. He, like Josie, also had to sit back and watch her suffer. 

Hope noted MG’s awkwardness and made a mental note to ask him about it later. It seemed like this girl - Lizzie - was well known around the school, and _not_ in a good way.

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Hope said, starting to walk away. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

MG’s eyes widened. “Hope, wait -”

Hope ignored him and walked faster towards the blonde before she left Hope’s sight. She reached Lizzie and grabbed her arm. Lizzie whirled around, believing that it was someone with ill intentions. She was surprised to see that it was her savior from yesterday. 

“Hope?” 

Hope gave her a gentle smile. “Hi.”

Lizzie looked around; people were already starting to give them dirty looks. “Come with me.” She took Hope by the wrist and dragged her into the nearest bathroom. The brightly-lit bathroom allowed Hope to better see Lizzie’s wounds. She had a split lip, her nose was slightly swollen, there was a huge bruise, in the shape of a shoe, on the side of her face, and she was still walking with a slight limp. 

“What are you doing?” Lizzie hissed.

Hope was confused at Lizzie’s tone. “I just wanted to talk to you.” 

Lizzie sighed. “You’re new, right? Listen, you can’t be seen talking to me, or else they’ll pick on you too. I appreciate the effort, and thank you for your help yesterday, but you have to forget about me.” 

Hope’s frown deepened at what Lizzie said. Is that really why no one else talked to her? Because they were afraid of some bullies? Maybe that’s why MG was acting so weird. She stepped a little closer to Lizzie. 

“Lizzie -” 

“How do you know my name?” Lizzie was looking at her, wide-eyed and a little scared.

“MG told me.” Lizzie visibly deflated at her answer. She was relieved. Even though she and MG weren’t really friends, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, and if he had told Hope her name, then maybe Hope was one of the few good people at this school. She mentally shook her head. No, she couldn’t get attached; it was for Hope’s safety. That’s what she told herself every single day - that it was for Josie’s safety, for MG’s safety, and now Hope’s. She couldn’t let Hope get close to her; she would just end up getting hurt. Lizzie would rather die than let anyone get hurt for her sake. She slowly started walking backwards, towards the bathroom door.

Lizzie let out an awkward laugh. “You know, I’ve seen you around. You’ve found a great group of friends. Keep them around, okay? Stick with them, and don’t worry about me.” Before Hope could say anything, Lizzie ran out the door; Hope attempted to follow her out, but when she looked around, Lizzie was gone. Hope sighed, and made her way to class. 

Lizzie walked to her class, feeling so demoralized. She stood outside of her classroom, debating on going in. 

_Fuck it,_ she thought. _I’m leaving._

She turned around and walked to the exit, heading for her car. She wondered what compelled her to do this; she had never skipped school, even on her worst days. She just needed a day off, she sure as hell deserved it, and her grades were nearly perfect, so she didn’t really see a problem with it. The school would call her parents later, but she didn’t care. She sat in the car, deciding on where she would go. She could go home, go back to sleep, and forget this morning ever happened; she could go to a restaurant and get some breakfast. Then something clicked in her head. She turned the car on, and pulled out of her parking space; she knew exactly where to go, and it was a place she knew she would always be welcome. 

She was overdue for another therapy session. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I am loving all of your comments ❤
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter :)
> 
> Until next time!


	5. Perhaps, A New Friendship

Lizzie pulled into the parking lot in front of the building. She shut the car off and just sat for a moment; for a split second she almost regretted skipping class, but her thoughts were overwhelming her and she needed to talk to someone about it before she exploded. In the past, she would always choke her feelings down because she didn’t want her family to keep hearing the same thing, and sometimes she actually did explode. Now, she had the help of therapy, and she desperately hoped that it would be enough to save her. 

Before she knew it she found herself in the elevator, anxiously waiting for the elevator to drop her off on the right floor. The doors opened, and Lizzie walked into the waiting room. 

“Lizzie!” the receptionist exclaimed. “Welcome back!” 

Lizzie was taken aback by the fact that the receptionist remembered her name; it gave her a warm feeling, and solidified her belief that she made the right decision in leaving school. 

“Do you have an appointment, Lizzie?” Lizzie’s heart sunk. Of course she didn’t have an appointment; she was an idiot who never made one. She should’ve known better than to barge in during the middle of the day - her therapist probably had other patients, patients who had bigger problems than her own. 

Before Lizzie’s thoughts could spiral further she heard the door to Dr. Thomas’ office open; she stepped out, talking to one of the other therapists. Her face lit up when she saw Lizzie. 

“Well look who’s back. Do I have a session with you today? I don’t remember seeing you on my schedule,” Dr. Thomas frowned, looking at the schedule on her phone. 

Lizzie stepped back. “No, uh...I-I forgot to make an..an appointment.” She slowly inched toward the door. “I can come back later -”

“Nonsense! Come with me.” Dr. Thomas motioned for Lizzie to follow her.

Once Lizzie was seated, she asked, “Is there another patient waiting? I didn’t mean to intrude…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I am supposed to have a patient right now, but he said he’d be running a bit late,” Dr. Thomas explained as she took her seat across from Lizzie. “Shouldn’t you be in school, by the way?” she asked with a knowing look. 

“Well, I did go for a bit, but I didn’t want to stay.” Lizzie shifted in her seat. “I had a pretty crappy day yesterday,” she added, pointing to her injured face. 

“What happened yesterday? And remember, I know your whole history with school, so there’s no need to sugarcoat it or hold anything back.” Dr. Thomas took a sip of her coffee and opened her notebook, preparing to write down whatever stood out to her. 

“I woke up feeling _so_ happy; I just felt like, after seeing a psychiatrist and coming here, that I was finally taking a step in the right direction. Then I went to school.” Lizzie sighed. She took a moment to recall what happened. 

“I had a letter from my psychiatrist that I had to take to the office. One of my biggest bullies, Dana, was working the front desk. I was stupid; I gave her the letter thinking that she had at least one shred of common decency and would just leave the letter alone.” Lizzie clenched her fists. “At the end of the day, there was a picture of the letter going around the _entire_ school. I tried to run, to escape, but some other girls found me and -” Lizzie hesitated, remembering what happened next. She began to shake, and struggled to keep her voice even. 

“They beat me. They kicked me and stomped on me and treated me like I was nothing. I had no choice but to take it, because there were so many of them. I didn’t stand a chance, I never had.” Lizzie’s voice was low, and Dr. Thomas could see that Lizzie was holding back her tears. 

“Let it out, Lizzie.” 

Lizzie shook her head. That’s the thing; Lizzie had spent so many nights crying that eventually she got tired of it. She hated crying over something that couldn’t be fixed. However, one tear managed to fall. “The whole school knows. _Everyone_ knows that I’m crazy _._ How am I supposed to go back there? I can’t. I can’t do it.” Lizzie fell back on her seat, suddenly tired. 

Dr. Thomas closed her notebook. “First of all, Lizzie, you’re not crazy, no matter how much people tell you that you are or even if you yourself believe that. Having a mental illness doesn’t make you weak. You deal with something on a daily basis that most people can’t even fathom. That makes you strong, Lizzie; constantly battling your thoughts is a fight most people don’t want to pick.” 

Lizzie sat up, trying to absorb everything the doctor was telling her. She had spent so many years hearing people tell her that her “freakouts” weren’t normal, that she was insane, and she should be locked up before she hurt someone. The doctor’s words didn’t sound rehearsed, or copied from some inspirational pamphlet online; she sounded genuine, and so stern, and that made Lizzie more reassured than she had ever been in her life. 

Dr. Thomas continued, opening her notebook again and took a quick look at her notes. “How are you so sure that Dana was the one who sent the picture? Maybe she sent it to one of her friends and they released it?”

Lizzie scoffed. “Please, Dana hates me. If she saw me on fire, she would sit back and watch me burn before calling for help. Plus, I saw the blue nail polish she was wearing on the top left corner.” Dana probably thought she was the smartest person in the world for sending it using an anonymous email, but Lizzie was smarter, though no one would believe her anyway. 

Dr. Thomas must’ve thought so too, because she smiled at Lizzie. “You have a good eye, Lizzie. So, what happened after those girls assaulted you?”

Lizzie bit her lip. “They were in the middle of it when some girl caught their attention. Then they ran. She helped me get back to my feet, which was weird. This morning she came up to me and tried to talk to me.” 

Dr. Thomas raised her eyebrows. “You say it like it’s a bad thing. Why would it be weird?” 

Lizzie shrugged. “People don’t go out of their way to help me. They’re kind of just used to it happening by now.”

“What made this girl so special that she bothered to help you?”

“She’s new, and new kids eventually hear about me from their classmates and they decide to cling to the friends they’ve already made. I’m kind of a cautionary tale, I guess.” 

Dr. Thomas was fascinated by Lizzie’s answers. It wasn’t everyday she saw a patient who knew their place and what others thought of them and spoke so casually about it, which made her sad. She’s had patients who have spoken negatively about themselves or about others, but to Lizzie it came as a second nature; by the way she spoke you would’ve thought that someone had asked her about the weather and not her analysis on why people stayed away from her.

“You said that she tried to talk to you this morning. What happened then?” 

“I told her that she couldn’t be seen talking to me. Dana and Alyssa and all of the other mean girl bitches have everyone so far up their asses with their empty threats that anyone who tries to talk to me gets scared that they’ll become targets. The only reason they pick on _me_ is because they’re on some moral crusade to get rid of my “craziness”.” 

Dr. Thomas noted Lizzie’s change in tone. Something about this new girl piqued her interest, and Lizzie’s as well (although she probably didn’t know it yet), and she wanted to get to the root of it. So, she asked Lizzie a question she believed she already knew the answer to, wanting to hear Lizzie’s answer.

“Why don’t you befriend her? She seems to want to make an effort, and as you already know, the mean girls’ threats are empty, so she’s not really in danger.”

That’s the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Why _didn’t_ Lizzie befriend Hope? Why had she taken every act of kindness shown to her (as few and far between as they were), at arm’s length? Why did Lizzie _insist_ on making her own life even more miserable by not letting anyone in? 

Lizzie carefully considered the question. “Every good thing that’s ever happened to me...doesn’t last. Everything that I’ve ever looked forward to is ripped away right in front of me. I don’t want to be disappointed, and the last thing I need is to be hurt. It started out small - my parents making promises they couldn’t keep; my sister telling me that she’d hang out with me after school yet she always had plans. Then it gradually turned into things that started to matter more, things that would have made a world of difference to someone like me.” 

Dr. Thomas latched on to every word Lizzie was saying. She had anticipated a simple answer; something along the lines of “I don’t trust anybody” or “I’ve gone this long without friends so I don’t need them.” Lizzie spoke so eloquently and so openly and Dr. Thomas admired her strength and honesty. She almost forgot that this was a teenage girl and not an adult with a lifetime of pain in front of her. 

“The bullies would promise that each beatdown, each time they made fun of me would be the last,” Lizzie continued. “It never was. The kids who promised to sit with me at lunch never did. The girl who saved me...her name is Hope, and I think that’s probably, yet another, cruel joke from the universe. I’m not just disappointed, I’m also scared. The girls’ threats are empty now, but what if one day they’re not? It only took me one day to lose control, so what about them? What’s going to stop Dana from throwing Hope into a dumpster when she’s having a bad day? Certainly not her friends. I think it’s better this way; I don’t get hurt and neither do the people around me.” 

Dr. Thomas opened her mouth to respond when there was a knock at the door. The receptionist poked her head in and said, “Doctor, your patient is here.”

The therapist nodded and turned to Lizzie, looking at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, Lizzie, we’ll talk about this next time, okay?” She stood up. “But before you go, I want to tell you to give this girl a shot. I know it’s going to be hard to trust her, but she sounds like she cares.” 

Lizzie looked away. “How will I know if she’s a good person?” 

Dr. Thomas smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll know.” 

Lizzie nodded and left the office. She thought about what she had told the doctor. She had never thought about how certain things affected her, and in the office, she felt as if the words were flowing out; it’s like she had opened a completely new door for herself. _Guess that's the therapy working,_ she thought. She said goodbye to the receptionist and took the elevator down to her car. It was still early in the day, so Lizzie decided to go home and sleep, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

Lizzie woke up to the sound of someone pounding on her bedroom door; she groaned and buried herself deeper into her pillow. 

“Elizabeth, open this door!” Lizzie’s eyes shot open. _Shit, I’m not supposed to be home,_ she remembered. She threw the blanket off of her and slowly walked to the door. She opened it, revealing the angry face of her mother. 

“So I got an interesting phone call from your school,” Caroline began, eerily calm. “They said you didn’t show up for school today. I thought to myself, “oh, my daughter wouldn’t do that”; come to find that my daughter did, in fact, do exactly that!”

Lizzie winced. She opened her mouth to explain, but her mother held her hand up to stop her. 

“I’m not done. I had a work meeting today that ended early, so I decided to come home and wait for both you and your sister to show up from school. I’m driving in front of the house and guess what I see? Your _car_ in our driveway! What exactly do you have to say for yourself?”

Lizzie didn’t know whether to laugh or run; her mother had a flair for the dramatic, but the look on her face meant nothing but trouble. 

“I’m sorry, Mom, I really am. I actually did go to school, and I nearly went to my first class, but then I started thinking about what happened to me yesterday and I felt like the walls were closing in; I couldn’t breathe, Mom,” Lizzie rambled.

Caroline’s gaze softened and she hugged her daughter. “I heard about your letter going out to the entire school; one of my friends who works at your school told me. I’m so sorry, honey. Do you want to talk about it? I can make you an appointment with your therapist.” 

Lizzie sniffled. “Actually, I went there right after I left school. I don’t know why, but I feel safe there.” 

Caroline let her daughter out of her embrace and cupped her cheek. “Well, I’m glad you actually did something with your day. This is the first time you’ve done this so I’m letting you off the hook, but no more skipping school, okay? I’ll make you some lunch and then I’ll go pick up Josie from school.” 

Lizzie nodded, relieved. She shut her bedroom door once her mother had left and laid back down on her bed. She was glad her mother got the call; her dad wouldn’t have gone so easy on her. It’s not like there was much they could do to punish her away. Grounding her would involve her having a social life; taking away her phone and laptop meant that she couldn’t do her homework. There wasn't much that Lizzie looked forward to doing in her daily life, so being immune to regular parenting tactics was the only upside to her situation. She crawled back under the covers, hoping to continue her nap; her dreams were the only place where she felt at peace. She let her mind go blank, and soon enough, she was asleep again. 

* * *

Hope had spent the weekend thinking about her conversation with Lizzie in the bathroom. She wasn’t disappointed, she had expected rejection, but what she didn’t anticipate was Lizzie’s response. It completely baffled her; she talked to Lizzie for several minutes and the world didn’t end, so _what_ were people afraid of? A bunch of airheads? Hope was frustrated to say the least. She was exasperated and her heart hurt for Lizzie. Hope couldn’t imagine spending who-knows-how long being tormented and with no support in self-imposed solitude. She wanted to bring the topic up with her friends, but MG kept eyeing her at every turn. She didn’t have any classes with Lizzie, and Hope never spotted her at lunch, but she did have a class with Josie, so maybe she’d ask her about it privately. 

It was once again lunchtime and Hope found herself looking around the cafeteria for Lizzie. She wasn’t sure why she was so drawn to the blonde, but Hope kept hoping that she would see her around school. It was halfway through lunch when Hope decided to go looking for Lizzie. 

“Where are you going?” Landon asked through a mouthful of fries. 

“I forgot something in my locker. I’ll see you guys later!” Luckily, no one questioned her as she left the cafeteria. Hope wasn’t sure where to begin to look. She tried the bathroom, but it was empty. She knew that students weren’t allowed to go outside and eat so Lizzie couldn’t have left. Her next destination was the library. 

It was almost empty, save for some students tutoring or some that were simply just eating lunch. It seemed like the perfect place for Lizzie to hide while all of the other kids were assembled in the cafeteria. Hope proved herself right when she spotted platinum-blonde hair behind one of the bookshelves.

Early on in high school, Lizzie decided to eat her lunch in the library when things began to become too much for her. The librarian never minded, and the kids who ate lunch in the library to begin with weren’t the type to pick on Lizzie. When she started getting more and more depressed she lost her appetite, opting to make herself useful and help organize books, which is what she was doing now. 

Learning from her earlier encounter, Hope slowly walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Lizzie turned around, a little more calmly this time, thinking it was the librarian. She raised her eyebrows when she saw that it was Hope.

Lizzie gave her a small smile, remembering what Dr. Thomas said about giving her a chance. “You really don’t quit, do you?” 

Hope blushed; she had made Lizzie smile, even if it was just a little. It somehow made her eyes look lighter. Hope tried not to get lost in them as she remembered why she was in the library in the first place. 

“Uh...sandwich?” Hope had decided to skip eating today and bring Lizzie her food, recalling that the blonde never got anywhere near the cafeteria. 

Lizzie reached for it slowly, afraid that it was a joke and Hope would take the sandwich back. Lizzie’s heart warmed a little when she didn’t.

“Thanks.” Lizzie frowned. She couldn’t help it; being suspicious of others had become sort of a survival tactic at school. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

Hope looked at her in confusion. “Isn’t it obvious? I want to be your friend.” 

Lizzie inhaled sharply. The word “friend” always sounded so foreign to her, like it was something that was just out of reach. She bit her lip, and then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Lizzie put away the book she had in her hand and picked up her backpack, getting ready for her next class.

Hope got a little closer to her. “I can...walk you to class, if you want.” Hope didn’t know why she was so nervous. 

Lizzie looked out to the crowd of kids outside of the library. She turned to Hope and smiled again; this time, the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly. 

“Maybe another time.” 

Hope nodded eagerly, her mood improving drastically. The girls went their separate ways, and if Hope had a goofy smile on her face for the rest of the day, well it wasn’t anyone's business. She and Lizzie were making progress, and that’s all that mattered to Hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...what did you think?
> 
> A lot happened this chapter. We got an impromptu therapy session, Lizzie getting caught by her mother, and Hope and Lizzie on their way to forming a friendship!


	6. The Saltzman Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope makes an upsetting discovery.

Josie was sitting next to Hope in their science class, noticing that the other girl seemed weirdly giddy about something. _Class started five minutes ago and she’s still smiling,_ Josie thought. 

“Um, Hope?”

Hope turned to face Josie. “Yes?” 

“You’re awfully happy today. Did you meet someone new?” Josie teased, nudging Hope. 

Hope’s eyes widened at the implication. “No! Well, not in that way…” She fidgeted with her hands a little. 

Josie tilted her head in confusion. Seeing the look on her friend’s face, Hope sighed and elaborated. “Let’s just say that I...made a new friend yesterday.” Hope nodded to herself, satisfied with her own answer. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her new developing friendship with Lizzie yet, at least, not until Lizzie was ready. Whatever they had between them felt very fragile and the last thing Hope wanted to do was betray the girl’s trust. She had to restrain herself from saying hi to her new friend whenever she had the chance to see her. 

Josie had no choice but to accept the answer, finding no other alternative as to why Hope was acting like a first grader who had just made a new friend. She broke out of her thoughts just in time to hear her teacher’s announcement.

“Good morning, everyone. Today we’re going to be learning about solids, liquids, and gases. Also, I have something to say about the science fair that will be happening in two weeks. Instead of a unit test, you and a partner will submit a project to be reviewed at the science fair. It is mandatory so everyone is required to attend.” Everyone groaned at that. Josie rolled her eyes; she’d rather enter the science fair and submit a project that involved using a potato to light a light bulb than take one of her teacher’s notoriously long tests. Her teacher continued, “Oh, it’s _not_ going to be that bad.” 

“Isn’t it taking place on a Saturday? I have, like, things to do,” Interjected Dana’s annoyingly high pitched voice. It said a lot about Josie’s luck that she got stuck in a class with one of her sister’s tormentors. She wondered every so often how Dana got into a senior-level chemistry class when she had the intelligence level of a goldfish.

“Yes, Ms. Lilien, it will take place on a Saturday morning, and will run only for a couple of hours, which leaves you the rest of the day to do whatever it is you teenagers do,” the teacher reassured her. Dana shrugged and leaned back in her seat. Everyone would have to wake up early, however Josie didn’t have a problem with it. 

“Any more questions?” the teacher asked. When no one answered, he said, “Great! I suggest you talk with your partner and start this project as soon as possible. I expect each team to hand in an outline of what their project is going to be by the end of the day tomorrow.”

Josie turned to Hope. “Partners?” 

Hope grinned. “Sure. Any ideas?”

Josie shook her head. “No. Maybe we can talk about it after school. I don’t have to tutor anyone today, so do you want to come over to my house?”

Hope nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll just have to text my parents.” 

Josie made a note to text Lizzie as soon as she could. Usually Lizzie would drive them both home, but whenever Josie would have someone over, Lizzie drove herself home and hid in her room while their mother picked Josie up. She wished her sister didn’t barricade herself in her room and hide from everyone, but Lizzie was stubborn and Josie couldn’t change her mind. 

“Ms. Saltzman,” the teacher said, walking over to her desk. “Here’s the extra credit assignment you submitted. Keep up the good work, okay?” 

  
_Saltzman...where have I heard that name before?_ Hope wondered; she shook her head, deciding to think about it later.

Josie smiled and looked at the grade on it; a 100 was written right at the top. She tried not to audibly giggle; she and Lizzie had made a bet. If Josie got a perfect score on her next assignment, then Lizzie would have to make dinner; the girls often made bets like these. They had three of the same classes but in a different order, so they often entered a friendly competition with each other; more often than not it was something as mundane as making dinner, other times it was something like one of the girls cleaning the other’s room while the winner watched. Josie imagined the look on her sister’s face when she’d shove the piece of paper in her face later; she knew Lizzie loved making bets like these because a), her sister was competitive, and b), it was one of the few things that made Lizzie happy, and Josie loved seeing her twin have some fun every once in a while. 

Hope’s voice broke out of her reverie. “Extra credit? You don’t need extra credit, Josie.” 

Josie smirked. “I absolutely do.” 

Hope playfully rolled her eyes and opened her textbook. “Let’s just get to work.”

* * *

Lizzie had tried very, _very_ hard not to let herself get too happy about her situation with Hope. Her therapist was right; Hope _was_ trying to make an effort, but Lizzie was still on full alert and she tried to choke her relief down. She kept reminding herself that Hope could still abandon her at any time for someone else, because that’s things usually went; there was always someone _better._

Still, it was hard to keep the smile off her face. Lizzie knew that if Alyssa Chang saw her with the slightest bit of joy on her face Alyssa wouldn’t hesitate to wipe it right off, either via a punch or a kick, whatever Alyssa was feeling that day. Apparently, Alyssa’s personal mission was to “rid the world of crazies” like Lizzie; Lizzie herself figured Alyssa had some kind of personal trauma relating to mental illness. She was still a bitch though, and Lizzie wouldn’t hesitate to run her over with her car at the first opportunity. She couldn’t help but imagine Hope coming to her rescue again; Lizzie shook her head at that. Hope was barely her friend, much less her personal bodyguard.

As always, Lizzie found herself again in the library during lunchtime. The librarian didn’t have any work for Lizzie to do, so she sat at one of the tables in the back corner. She was busy playing a game on her phone when she felt someone take the seat next to her. She smiled, already knowing who it was. 

“Hey stranger,” said Hope, taking off her backpack. 

Lizzie put her phone away, opting to give Hope her undivided attention. “Is this going to become a regular thing? Should I get you a job here, too?” 

Hope giggled. “Well it is quiet here. And the company’s nice as well.”

Lizzie blushed and rolled her eyes. “Got tired of the screaming teenagers in the cafeteria?”

“They’re the worst. Someone threw a used napkin at MG the other day.” 

Lizzie looked a little sad at the mention of MG, Hope noticed. She never got around to asking him how he knew Lizzie. Although, based on Lizzie’s status at this school, it probably didn’t involve anything good. So, Hope decided to change the subject. 

“Here, I brought you some food,” said Hope, taking out two containers, one for herself and the other for Lizzie.

Lizzie pointed at the tupperware. “That is definitely not cafeteria food.” 

Hope rolled her eyes. “My mom decided to make me lunch today and she had made a little extra.” She passed Lizzie a fork. It wasn’t a total lie; Hayley _had_ made Hope’s lunch and Hope had asked if she could give some to Lizzie, since she never saw the blonde eat. 

Lizzie willed herself not to cry. This particular act of kindness was overwhelming for her. She gulped, composing herself, and began to eat. Lizzie had to admit, it felt nice to eat with someone for once. Before, she couldn’t imagine a world in which this was her normal. She would have to update Dr. Thomas on everything later.

When the girls were done eating, they still had some time before lunch was over, so Lizzie decided to help Hope with her math homework. Lizzie’s grades were just as high as her sister’s, making her eligible to become a tutor, but she had declined, not wanting to be at school any more than she needed to. Hope was amazed at how quickly she understood the material when Lizzie was teaching her; she wondered how someone so smart, pretty, and kind could possibly be hated by the student population.

As Hope was finishing up the last of the problems, Lizzie received a text from her sister, telling her that she had invited a friend over to their house to work on a project and that Lizzie should leave without her. Lizzie texted Josie back and sent a quick message to their mom, letting her know that Josie needed a ride home today. When Caroline first heard about their arrangement she had called it “ridiculous” and “unnecessary.” Caroline gave in when Lizzie had arrived home, half an hour later than usual, beaten up; her assaulters would have gotten to Josie as well if Josie hadn’t forgotten her notebook in her locker and had to go back into the school to get it. Knowing that the girls who beat her up were still on school grounds, Lizzie had left the car keys under the car and texted Josie saying that she decided to walk home, letting Josie drive herself as to not be seen with Lizzie. Lizzie arrived home, bloody and her face tear-stained, and proposed a new arrangement. Seeing the anguish on her daughter’s face, Caroline couldn’t decline. Lizzie was nothing short of dramatic, and her family members often questioned why she took such dramatic measures as to not be seen with her sister; Lizzie figured that no matter how much she explained that it was for Josie’s own good, no one would ever understand. Lizzie had rationalized that it was only for 8 hours in which Lizzie had to pretend that she was an only child, and that they both could deal with it. 

At least, that’s how things were before. Now that she had Hope, and was willing to let her in, then maybe she could start letting her sister in, too. 

Lizzie didn’t realize that she had spaced out until she felt Hope shake her arm. “Hey, are you okay? You kinda went to another planet there.”

Lizzie gave her a small smile. “I’m fine. I was just...remembering something.” 

Hope nodded; she wasn’t convinced, but it wasn’t her place to ask, not yet at least. She hoped that one day Lizzie would trust her enough to really talk to her; Hope knew Lizzie was harboring a lot of pain, and all she wanted to do was help. 

The bell rang, so Hope packed away her stuff and walked with Lizzie to the door. Lizzie stopped abruptly and bit her lip, contemplating something. Before Hope could ask what was wrong, Lizzie turned to her. “Walk me to class?” 

Hope looked at her, wide-eyed. “Are you sure?” 

Lizzie smiled. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Hope nodded eagerly and the girls then joined the flow of students. Lizzie saw one of Dana’s minions glare at her and Hope, and Lizzie prayed that she made the right decision. As if she knew what Lizzie was thinking, Hope gave her arm a comforting squeeze. The two girls walked until Lizzie stopped outside of a door. 

“Well, this is my stop,” Lizzie said. She looked away shyly. “Thank you for lunch, and uh...walking me to class.” 

Hope put her hand on her arm again. “You don’t have to thank me. I’ll see you later, okay?” 

Lizzie nodded and watched as Hope left. She entered the classroom and sat down at her desk, completely content.

* * *

“I’m going to Bonnie’s for a bit. Let me know if you need anything, alright?” Caroline said as she dropped Hope and Josie off at the Saltzman residence. Josie nodded and walked over to the front door, unlocking it. She led Hope upstairs to her room, and shut the door. 

“Let’s go over this project, shall we?” Hope said as she took out her notebook. 

“Hmm. Are we aiming to win here or just to pass?” Josie joked. Their teacher didn’t say anything about getting first place so Josie let herself be a little lenient with this assignment. 

It seemed like Hope was having the same thought process. “A passing grade? I don’t even think he mentioned _that._ ” The girls laughed. They had worked out some of the details of their project and were currently just talking. Josie had slipped away for a couple of seconds and slid her extra credit assignment underneath Lizzie’s door, expecting dinner to be ready in an hour or so. After a while of just chit chat, Hope asked where the bathroom was. 

“At the end of the hall,” Josie said as she put her school stuff away. 

Hope was making her way over to the bathroom when she saw a flash of blonde hair at the bottom of the stairs and entering the kitchen. According to Josie, Caroline hadn’t arrived home yet so Hope wondered who it could be. She crept down the stairs, just to see who it was, and her eyes widened when she saw a familiar face.

“Lizzie?” 

Lizzie dropped the knife she was chopping vegetables with. She had seen Josie’s extra credit assignment slip under her door and rolled her eyes, proceeding to go downstairs and start making their dinner. Josie had mentioned bringing a friend over, but she didn’t specify which one.

“Hope!” 

_Saltzman..._ Hope remembered what her chemistry teacher had called Josie that morning. The name had sounded familiar, but she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it. Looking at Lizzie, her brain worked it out, recalling the time she asked MG what Lizzie’s name was. 

_“Oh, that’s, uh, Lizzie Saltzman.”_

“Hey, Hope, what are you doing down -” Josie came down the stairs and froze when she saw Lizzie and Hope looking at each other. The twins exchanged a look, and Lizzie’s shoulders dropped, admitting defeat. 

“Hope -” Lizzie began, but was cut off by Hope. 

“Are you and Josie, _sisters?_ ” Hope asked, pointing between the two girls, her anger bubbling beneath the surface.

Lizzie looked away. “Fraternal twins.” 

Hope whirled around to face Josie. Josie braced herself, knowing what was about to happen.

“You mean to tell me, that your sister, your own _twin,_ has been getting the shit beaten out of her regularly, and you’ve been, what, tutoring ninth graders?” Hope’s voice was low, and the air was tense. Josie didn’t dare say a word, knowing there was more to come, and if she was being honest with herself, she deserved whatever Hope was about to say. 

“I’ve been at that school for a week, _a_ _week_ , Josie, and even I can see how much pain your sister’s in! How can you sit back and watch your twin be abused? What kind of sister lets that happen?” Hope clenched her fists. 

Lizzie tried to intervene. “It’s not her fault -” 

Hope scoffed. “Not her fault? Maybe, but she could’ve done something! I sit at Josie’s lunch table every single day and she’s talking and laughing, like she doesn’t have a care in the world! She acts like she doesn’t have a sister constantly having to hide from everyone because she’s _always_ getting hurt!” Hope turned back to Josie. “You have _so_ many people in your corner, and what does Lizzie have? A sister who won’t defend her. What are you afraid of, Josie? Or are you just trying to protect yourself?” 

Josie kept looking at the ground as Hope glared at her; she didn’t have the urge to cry. Hope was right; she was just the manifestation of what Josie has been telling herself for years. Maybe she was just trying to protect herself, and was using Lizzie as an excuse. 

Lizzie grabbed Hope’s wrist and dragged her up the stairs and into her room. She sat Hope down on her bed and closed the door. 

“Hope, let me explain, please,” Lizzie tried. 

“What’s there to explain, Liz? Your sister walks around the school, pretending you don’t exist!” 

“I’m the one who’s been telling her not to get involved!” Deep down, Lizzie knew Hope was right, but Lizzie had to take some of the blame for not letting her sister help. 

Hope was confused. “Why would you do that?” 

Lizzie sighed, sitting next to Hope. “They harass me because they think I’m crazy, and if they knew that Josie and I were related, then they’d beat her up too, thinking that she's also insane. This is the best way to protect my sister; I don’t care if I get hurt everyday as long as Josie never has to go through the same things that I do.” It was a weak argument, but Lizzie had to try to get Hope to see her side. 

Hope frowned. She didn’t like what Lizzie was saying at all. “Why do they think you’re crazy?”

Lizzie bit her lip and walked over to her desk, opening the drawer and pulling out her prescription bottle. She sat back down next to Hope. 

“When I was 12, I had some sort of...episode; I got uncontrollably angry and sad and I almost hurt a classmate. Right in front of everyone. They called me a freak, and from there they started making fun of me. It got worse in middle school, when they started actually beating me up. The day you saved me from Alyssa and the other girls, there was a picture going around the school.” Lizzie pulled out her phone, pulling up the picture and showing it to Hope. 

Hope looked at the picture, a million different thoughts running through her head. She then looked at the prescription bottle still in Lizzie’s hand, then at Lizzie herself looking down at her lap in shame. _Six years,_ Hope thought. She couldn’t imagine living like that for so long. 

“This doesn’t mean you’re crazy.” 

Lizzie’s head shot up. Her therapist had told her the same thing, but she still had trouble believing it. She scoffed. “Tell that to Dana and Alyssa and everyone else at that school.” Just like at the therapist’s office, Lizzie tried to hold back her tears, but she was so _tired_ of pretending she was fine. She even fooled herself for a very long time. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face, and Hope was pulling her into her arms.

“It’s not fair,” Lizzie sobbed. Hope held her tighter; Lizzie’s situation was even worse than Hope imagined. Later in the night, after Hope and Josie had a lengthy conversation and agreed to make Lizzie’s life better, Hope convinced Lizzie to let her stay the night, not wanting the blonde to be alone, whether she meant that specific night or ever again, it didn’t matter. As Hope watched Lizzie sleep, seeing her haunted mask crumble into peaceful slumber, she lightly traced the bags under Lizzie’s eyes, and decided that yeah, it really wasn’t fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Hope knows everything, will things change for Lizzie?
> 
> I think we're at the midway point of the story here, so thank you to those who have stuck with me so far!
> 
> As always, don't forget to leave a comment.


	7. The Therapist's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Thomas tells Lizzie why she became a therapist; The girls prepare for the science fair tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for suicide

The past two weeks had been nothing short of life-changing for Lizzie; she didn’t walk to class alone anymore, being accompanied by Hope, Josie, or both. She was still wary of the people around her, but a hand on her arm or a gentle shake was enough to bring her back to reality. Hope had devised a plan in which she would spend the full lunch periods with Lizzie on some days and the others with her friends - Hope had wanted to eat with Lizzie full-time but Lizzie herself had begged Hope to spend time with her friends. Even Josie joined them sometimes. Lizzie and MG were still tip-toeing around each other, but Lizzie had no hard feelings towards him and they were both open to starting a new friendship in the future. Hope had wanted to incorporate Lizzie into her and Josie’s friend group but Lizzie wasn’t ready for that, so Hope respected her wishes. 

Even Dr. Thomas had noted Lizzie’s change in demeanor. She was concerned at first, believing Lizzie to have entered a manic episode, however Lizzie had explained that her life had literally changed overnight and she didn’t have to worry as much about school. The therapist had advised her to be careful, that long-term change didn’t happen overnight, and to not give up when she had a bad day. It wasn’t just Lizzie’s life at school that made her feel better; she was really getting along with her therapist and she often left her sessions feeling better than when she went in. 

That’s where Lizzie found herself today. She had made her therapy appointment for right after school; Hope and Josie had stayed at the school to help set up the science fair and Lizzie agreed to pick them up afterwards. 

“Good afternoon, Lizzie, how are you?” began Dr. Thomas, sipping on her coffee. 

Lizzie shrugged. “Tired, I guess. I had three tests today and I didn’t sleep much last night since I needed to study.” 

“You don’t need me to tell you that you need to get an adequate amount of sleep,” said the therapist, giving Lizzie a pointed look. 

Lizzie shook her head, eyeing the coffee. Dr. Thomas noticed, and leaned back in her chair. 

“If you want some, the coffee machine’s in the back.”

Lizzie narrowed her eyes. “Am I allowed to use the coffee machine?”

“No, but you’ve earned it, and,” the doctor said, opening her notebook. “They can’t say anything if I didn’t see it.” She looked down at her notes, a hint of a smile on her face. 

Lizzie grinned and got up, grabbing herself a cup of coffee from the back of the office. As she waited for the cup to fill, she looked over at the doctor’s desk. There were an assortment of items on it, including a small plant, a stack of business cards, a gold plaque that read _Dr. Taylor Thomas, PhD,_ and a framed picture of her family. 

Lizzie was so caught up in looking at the doctor’s things that she didn’t notice Dr. Thomas creep up next to her.

“Your coffee’s done.” 

Lizzie jumped, startled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop.”

Dr. Thomas put her hand up. “No need to apologize.”

Lizzie looked over to the framed picture. “I didn’t know you have kids.” 

The therapist nodded, grabbing the frame and pointing at a smiling little girl. “That’s my daughter, Aliyah - she’s 10.” She pointed to a little boy next to the girl. “That’s my son, Aaron Jr. They’re twins, just like you and your sister.” She put the frame down. 

Lizzie smiled at the connection. She tilted her head at another frame that she hadn’t seen before; it was a much younger Dr. Thomas standing next to a teenage boy. 

Lizzie pointed at the picture. “Who’s that?” 

Dr. Thomas smiled sadly. “Let’s sit down. And grab your coffee.”

Lizzie frowned, hoping she hadn’t said anything wrong. She walked back over to the machine, adding some cream and sugar to her coffee, and sat back down in her chair. 

Dr. Thomas looked at her. “You know why I became a therapist?”

Lizzie knew the question was rhetorical, but she shook her head anyway. 

“Because of him,” the doctor said, pointing at the frame. “He was my best friend back in high school. He was kind, soft-spoken, _very_ smart, and he had a hell of a sense of humor, always making people laugh.” Dr. Thomas’ eyes glossed over, recalling the memory. “At least, that’s how he was at school.”

She frowned, and shifted in her chair. “His home life was a different story. He was being abused by his father, verbally, physically, you name it. His mother never intervened; she, too, was scared of her husband. He hid his bruises well, and I noticed that he was always a little more sensitive to certain subjects, but that was all I could tell. The little joy, and relief, he got was when he was at school; normally, kids would want to flee the building as soon as humanly possible, but not him. He joined a number of clubs, the band, and even tried his hand at tutoring, just so he would delay going home. He was very well known around school because of his extracurricular activities, but no one could see his pain. One day, a completely normal day, he hadn’t shown up for school. Somewhere around second period I got called down to the principal’s office. I got there and she told me to sit; the school psychologist was also there. They looked sorrowful, and I had a feeling that whatever the principal was about to say wasn’t good.”

The therapist cleared her throat. “She started off by apologizing - the whole school knew we were attached at the hip, which is why I was called down to begin with. She had paused for a second, then decided to rip off the band aid, telling me that they had found my best friend dead in his garage earlier that morning. Carbon monoxide poisoning. I had never felt so numb in my life; at some point they had brought my stuff down, and told me that I was free to go home if I’d like. I walked and walked and suddenly I had found myself right in front of his house. There was yellow caution tape everywhere, police interviewing neighbors - it was a scene right out of a movie. I looked around and made eye contact with his mother; she came up to me and pulled me into a hug, telling me that I should go home. But how could I? My best friend was on his way to a morgue. The funeral was horrible - it was a beautiful ceremony - but his mother's cries and screams is something that I will never forget. Now that I’m a mom, I can’t imagine a worse pain than burying one of my children. I thought about him a lot afterwards; I had to navigate through the rest of school without my friend, and when it was time to apply for colleges, I decided that I wanted to enter the field of psychology, so I can help people like him, and like you, Lizzie. I didn’t find out that he was being abused until a few years later; on the five year anniversary of his death I went to go see his mother. She told me everything, and I was angry. He died believing that his mother would never choose him, but because he loved her so much that he would never abandon her, he’d never escape his father, either. I never went back to that house. I keep that picture as a reminder that even when patients get difficult or that they believe that they are broken beyond repair, I can still make a difference in their lives.”

She leaned forward and looked at Lizzie right in the eyes. “Find someone worth staying for, Lizzie, and think of that person when things get too hard. It doesn’t have to be family, just someone who loves you unconditionally. If I had known what my friend was going through I would’ve gotten him the _hell_ out of that house.”

Dr. Thomas got up and went over to her desk, pulling out a sticky note and writing something down. She walked back over and sat down in her chair. “Here,” she said, handing Lizzie the sticky note. “This is my personal phone number. As a professional, I’m not allowed to do this, but I think it’s worth it if I get to save at least one of my patients. You just can’t tell anyone. I want you to call me if you feel like your thoughts are spiraling out of control. You can call me anytime - day or night, even if you’re at school. I promise I will help you.”

Lizzie was speechless; her heart was full. “I...I don't know what to say..."

“You don’t have to say anything, Lizzie. You deserve to live your life to the fullest, just like everybody else.” She looked down at her watch. “Oh, dear, I spent so much time talking about me that I lost track of time. Let’s talk about you, now…”

* * *

Lizzie finished her session, and went to pick up her sister and Hope from school; Dr. Thomas’ story was all she could think about, and she didn’t notice when Hope and Josie entered the car. She felt a tap on her shoulder. 

“Earth to Lizzie, hello? I’m hungry,” Hope whined from the passenger's seat. 

“Are you okay, Liz?” asked Josie. 

Lizzie nodded, starting the car. “Yeah. Therapy’s exhausting sometimes.” She felt Hope’s eyes analyze every inch of her face and tried not to look over. 

_“Someone who loves you unconditionally…”_

Lizzie cleared her throat. “So, uh, food?” 

Hope nodded eagerly. “Can we go to the Mystic Grille?” 

“Sure. Josie?”

“I want a sandwich,” Josie grumbled. 

Lizzie laughed. “Thanks for letting us know. I’m taking that as a yes, though.”

The girls listened to music on their way to the Grille, with Lizzie laughing at Hope’s awful singing and Josie covering her ears. Lizzie parked in front of the restaurant and the trio got out, entering and finding themselves a booth to sit at. Hope had chosen to sit next to Lizzie; she put her head on Lizzie’s shoulder while they looked at the menu. Josie made eye contact with Hope and looked back and forth between the two, raising an eyebrow. Hope blushed, and moved the menu so it obstructed her view of Josie’s face.

“Hello, ladies, what can I get for you?” asked the waiter. 

“I’ll take the chicken sandwich,” said Lizzie. “Josie?”

“The vegan sandwich for me.” 

“Chicken tenders and fries for me, please,” replied Hope. The girls handed him the menus.

“Anything to drink?” 

“Water,” the twins said simultaneously. 

“Uh, I’ll have a lemonade,” Hope responded. 

Once the waiter left, Hope turned in her seat. “Do you guys usually say things at the same time?”

Lizzie nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Wait until you see our twinstincts in action,” said Josie, smirking. 

Hope tilted her head. “Twinstincts?”

“Twin instincts,” Lizzie explained. She shrugged. “It freaks some people out, but that’s the fun part.”

They kept talking until the waiter came back with their food and drinks. Hope was practically vibrating in her seat when the food was placed in front of her.

Lizzie looked at her. “Lemonade and chicken tenders?” She laughed. “You’re such a four year old.”

Hope gave her a fake pout and dug into her food. Every once in a while Josie and Lizzie each picked off a fry from her plate. 

Once they were done eating, and had paid for the meals, they headed over to the Saltzman residence so Hope and Josie could finish up the final touches of their project. 

“I can’t believe you guys didn’t make a volcano. I’ve always wanted to see if it’s like what they show on tv,” Lizzie complained. 

“Well, Lizzie, we’re not children and that’s a total cliche,” said Josie sarcastically. 

Lizzie pouted and Hope gave her a giggle. 

“Are you coming to the science fair tomorrow, Liz?” asked Hope. 

Lizzie stared at her for several seconds. “No,” she deadpanned. 

“Why not? You don’t want to support your two favorite people?”

“First of all, I refuse to step into any kind of learning institution on a _Saturday_ , much less a Saturday morning, and second, I am not waking up that early!” 

“Aren’t you driving us, Lizzie?” Josie reminded her. 

“You’re perfectly capable of operating a motor vehicle, Josette. You don’t need me as your personal taxi service.”

Hope chimed in. “Please, for me?” 

Lizzie knew Dana was also going to be at the fair and she refused to be in the same room as the wicked witch, but Lizzie’s determination wavered the longer Hope looked at her with a hopeful look on her face.

Lizzie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, but only for a few minutes. I don’t want any trouble with that she-devil Dana.” 

“Yay!” Hope jumped and gave Lizzie a hug. “By the way, can you give me a ride home?” 

Lizzie looked down at Hope and nodded, the two still in an embrace. Lizzie was always eager to spend more time with Hope.

After saying goodbye to Josie, Hope followed Lizzie downstairs to the car; she saw something fall out of Lizzie’s pocket: a phone number. Hope felt a stab of jealousy. _Who gave Lizzie their number?_ Opting to ask the blonde about it later, she tapped Lizzie on the shoulder. 

“You dropped this.”

Lizzie looked down and her eyes widened when she saw that she had dropped the sticky note. “Thanks.” 

The two girls drove in awkward silence, Hope’s mind overthinking about the phone number and Lizzie feeling as if she could physically see the gears in Hope’s head turning. Lizzie pulled into the Mikaelson driveway and Hope looked over at Lizzie. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Lizzie nodded and they stared at each other for a while, the air feeling heavy. Hope broke the stare and leaned over, giving Lizzie a kiss on the cheek. She left the car and Lizzie watched as she entered her house; Lizzie felt a burning sensation where Hope had kissed her. Shaking her head, she pulled back out of the driveway and made her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, things are looking up, right? 
> 
> Next chapter is the science fair. Will there be an epic showdown between Lizzie and Dana?


	8. The Science Fair

Lizzie woke up to the sound of an alarm blaring; looking over at the clock she saw that it was 7:30 am. Groaning, she got out of bed and reluctantly got ready for the day. 

_Why did I agree to this?_ she asked herself. _Oh, right._ She promised Hope. Lizzie couldn’t complain; seeing Hope was always the best part of Lizzie’s day.

She heard someone pounding on her door. “Wake up, Liz, we’re going to be late!” Lizzie rolled her eyes at her sister’s incessant noise. She opened her bedroom door and dragged her feet downstairs. Josie was in the kitchen, spooning cereal into her mouth like it was her last meal. 

“Would you calm down? It’s not like NASA’s coming to the fair,” said Lizzie. 

Josie rolled her eyes; it was less effective when she had a mouth full of cereal. “My _grade_ is depending on it, Lizzie.”

“So is Hope’s,” Lizzie reminded her. “If you go down, she goes down with you. Besides, I don’t think being a tiny bit late, which we won’t be, will cause you to fail the class.” Lizzie shook her head; sometimes her sister managed to be more dramatic than her, and that’s saying a lot. 

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go,” muttered Josie, putting her dishes in the sink and tossing Lizzie the car keys. The two girls walked to the car; Josie practically jumped into the vehicle with Lizzie slowly trudging behind her, equal parts due to exhaustion and wanting to agitate her sister. The duo arrived at the school with plenty of time to spare, causing Lizzie to glare at her sister for rushing her. Josie gave her an innocent smile. 

  
As soon as Lizzie entered the school, she felt a weight on her chest. She’d never had a singular good experience at school (besides meeting Hope, but even that was under horrible circumstances), so walking through the quiet halls just reminded her of how lonely she had been; how lonely she still is. The loneliness was something that was ever-present, always in the back of her mind, but like with everything else, she ignored it until she crashed. Lizzie was an extrovert, she wanted, oftentimes _needed,_ to be around people, but who would give her the time of day? The loneliness was her longest lasting companion, for a third of her life now, and had never abandoned her, whispering things in her ear that she wouldn’t - couldn’t - share with anyone else.

She always had Josie, but Lizzie needed more; someone who didn’t feel obligated to be by her side because they were related. She knew Josie didn’t think that way, yet Lizzie couldn’t help but believe the negative thoughts swirling in her head. She couldn’t help but think that if she and Josie weren’t sisters, then Josie would ignore her just like all the rest, without any prompting from Lizzie necessary. The reality was that she wasn’t alone anymore; other than her sister she had Hope, the sweet, tiny, auburn-haired girl who managed to completely flip her world upside down. She managed to tear down Lizzie’s walls that had been built sky high, offering companionship when Lizzie needed it the most. The thing about Hope was that she was the only person in her life who had made a serious effort, even when Lizzie tried to rationalize that pushing her away would keep her safe. That meant more to Lizzie than Hope would ever know. Sometimes, on a bad day, she’d backtrack and wonder if Hope had befriended her out of pity. She'd shake her head and forget about it. She didn’t want to think about what would happen to them in the future; it was senior year, after all. It was almost time to apply for colleges and Hope had a passion for art. Lizzie hoped, for Hope’s sake, that she would apply to a great art school; any of them would be lucky to have Hope and her talent. Part of Lizzie wanted to Hope to follow her dreams, or at least go wherever the wind took her, and the other part of Lizzie wanted her to stay.

Because she loved Hope, she truly did; she didn’t know when it happened, whether it was during the day or at night, whether it was in the crowded halls of the school or alone at home, but this girl who Lizzie had met mere weeks ago had made a special place for herself in Lizzie’s heart. Lizzie had broken all of her rules, made an exception for someone who was once a complete stranger. She didn’t know if they could push past the boundaries of friendship; she hoped they could, but there was a small voice, deep down, that told Lizzie that Hope may have walked into her life a little too late. 

_Too late for what?_ Lizzie wondered. But she knew. She knew that she was beyond saving; she had been for a while now. Therapy could only do so much for a girl whose emotional pain far exceeded the physical, a girl who has had so much taken from her that she had nothing left to give. Her medication only served to numb it all, to suppress the part of her that wanted to _feel,_ because if she ever let that part of herself go, she would end up hurting a lot more than just herself. 

Josie had noticed her sister’s prolonged silence and put a hand on her shoulder, snapping Lizzie out of her trance. As Josie opened her mouth to say something, she was interrupted by a familiar voice behind them. 

“Good morning, Saltzmans!” said Hope in a singsong voice. She was practically skipping towards them, a coffee in hand. Lizzie grunted. Maybe Hope did have a flaw: she was a morning person.

When neither Josie nor Lizzie looked amused, Hope giggled. “Are you guys ready to get this day over with?”

Lizzie snorted. “I’m ready to leave you two here and go back to sleep.” She rolled her eyes when Hope and Josie gave her matching pouty faces. When three of them entered the gym, Josie took off, wanting to look at the other projects before the fair started. Hope turned to Lizzie, who was also looking at the nearby projects. Hope took a good look at her. Lizzie’s shoulders were slightly hunched, which was strange since her posture was always perfect, she was walking a little slower than usual, and her half-opened, downcast eyes indicated something more than just morning sleepiness. Maybe Hope was just overthinking it; maybe Lizzie _was_ just tired. Hope still worried, though - she’s always worried. Lizzie did a fantastic job of hiding her pain, because she seemed almost _too_ fine for someone who got very little pleasure out of life. Hope did her best to observe, to figure out what Lizzie’s tells were, so Hope could make sure she was fine, but if Lizzie had any tells to begin with, she hid them very well.

Hope tugged at Lizzie’s sleeve, trying to get the other girl’s attention. She had been wanting to spend more time with Lizzie ever since she saw the phone number someone had given her. Hope had been annoyed at her own jealousy; she didn’t have a claim on Lizzie, even if she did want to be closer to her. She wouldn’t dare make a move, though, not yet at least, because Lizzie needed to work on herself before any type of relationship could be possible. Hope hoped that Lizzie would reciprocate her feelings, but she was content just being Lizzie’s friend. 

Lizzie turned around, raising her eyebrows in question. Hope bit her lip and looked up at the blonde; she would never get tired of looking into her deep blue eyes. 

“Thank you for coming, Liz.” 

Lizzie was slightly taken aback by the sincerity in Hope’s voice. She gave the shorter girl a small smile. “Anytime.” 

Just then, the science teacher made an announcement. “Alright everyone, the science fair’s about to start, everyone take your places. And where’s Dana?” Everyone shuffled toward their respective projects. Lizzie said goodbye to Hope and waved at her sister before leaving. As she walked out of the gym, she ran into Dana, who was late, not that Lizzie had expected anything less. 

“Watch it, Loser Lizzie.” Dana sneered as she walked by.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and kept walking; she was too tired to deal with anyone or anything today. 

Dana, however, didn’t like being ignored, so she called out to Lizzie again. “Why are you so quiet, Saltzman? Didn’t take your pill this morning?”

Lizzie didn’t want to fall into Dana’s trap, but she couldn’t help herself; she turned around, taking in Dana’s appearance, and smirked. The other girl looked like a wreck - dishevelled hair, dark circles under her eyes, and unkempt clothes. Lizzie rarely had the material to engage Dana in a snark match, and this was a perfect opportunity for her. 

“What’s with the hangover, Lilien? Either you got dumped by your boyfriend last night or someone finally decided to tell you how much of a raging bitch you are.” Lizzie felt proud of herself; she had sunk to Dana’s level, but she felt entitled to at least one win against the witched bitch.

Dana moved her arm to slap Lizzie in the face, but Lizzie somehow managed to catch her wrist before Dana’s hand made contact with her face. For a moment, Dana was stunned, and Lizzie took the opportunity to punch the other girl in the face. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough for Dana to feel just a small taste of what she and everyone else had put Lizzie through. Before Dana could retaliate though, the science teacher walked out of the gym. 

“Ms. Lilien, there you are. You’re late! Get into the gym, now!” 

Dana had no choice but to leave, but before she left, she looked at Lizzie dead in the eyes. “You’re a menace, Saltzman,” she seethed. “You make everyone around you miserable. No one will ever love someone as crazy as you. That’s why people avoid you like the plague. Nobody cares about you, so why don’t you do us all a favor and chuck yourself off a building? I’m sure the world would be a much better place.” She turned around and stomped into the gym. 

Lizzie just stood there, fists clenched and nails digging into her palms. Dana had just verbalized everything that Lizzie had tried so hard to keep down for years. Trying to keep her composure until she got home, she marched right out of the school, got into her car, and furiously drove home. She threw open the front door of her house; luckily, her parents weren’t home. 

_Of course,_ she thought bitterly. _They’re never here._

Lizzie ran up the stairs, into her bedroom, and shut the door. She paced back and forth for so long she felt herself getting dizzy. She plopped herself down on the edge of her bed, clutching her phone, tempted to call Dr. Thomas. She shook her head. _That’s stupid. It’s Saturday, she’s probably busy. This isn’t a crisis, right?_

Lizzie got so frustrated with her inability to make a decision that she hurled her phone across the room, shattering her mirror. She walked over to the other side of the room, bending down to pick up her phone (which miraculously hadn’t shattered upon impact), and saw her reflection in one of the shards of glass. She hated what she saw.

_I really do look crazy._

The room suddenly felt small; she needed to get out of the house. She texted Josie, telling her that she wouldn’t be able to pick her up, and got into the car, driving and driving until she finally stopped at the edge of town. She rarely came here, only when things got bad and she needed to think. Lizzie turned the car off and leaned back, taking in the scenery. She focused on her breathing and felt a bit calmer. She leaned the driver’s seat back as far as it would go, laying down, and tried to make sense of the plethora of thoughts inside of her head.

* * *

Hope and Josie were talking to a couple of their classmates when Dana stormed into the gymnasium, clutching her nose, which seemed to be turning purple by the second. 

Hope raised an eyebrow. “What the hell happened to her?” 

Josie shrugged. “Whatever it was, she had it coming.” 

Hope smiled; she wished Lizzie were here to see the scene. 

As the duo watched Dana get chewed out by their teacher, they failed to notice the crowd of people walking in, signaling the start of the science fair. Someone tapped Josie on the shoulder, wanting to learn more about their project. Hope and Josie directed their attention away from the furious teenage girl.

This morning had gone off to an interesting start. 

A couple of hours later, as the last of the people left, Josie took out her phone to check the time, and frowned upon seeing Lizzie’s text. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Hope. Josie showed her the phone. 

Hope tilted her head in confusion. “It’s not like her to bail.”

Josie nodded. “Something’s wrong. As far as I know she didn’t have any plans for today.”

Hope looked back at Dana and bit her lip. “I bet it has something to do with her.” If Lizzie was the one who punched Dana, then the other girl must’ve said something to really piss Lizzie off. The blonde rarely resorted to violence. 

Josie sighed. “My parents aren’t home so I’ll get us an Uber.”

After they were dropped off at the twins’ house, Josie noticed that Lizzie’s car wasn’t in the driveway. 

“Where could she be?” wondered Josie out loud. 

Hope opened their front door and went upstairs. “Lizzie?” she called. She noticed that the door to the blonde’s room wasn’t fully shut, and she peeked in, immediately spotting broken glass. 

“Josie!”

The brunette jogged up the stairs at the sound of Hope’s voice. She looked around the room and pulled out her phone. “I’m calling her.”

After a couple of attempts to reach her sister, Josie sat herself down on her sister’s bed, anxious. Hope walked around the room, looking for any indication as to where the blonde may have gone. Hope spotted a picture of the twins on Lizzie’s desk; the frame read _Lizzie and Josie’s 13th Birthday._ The two girls were wearing matching birthday hats and smiling. Hope could see a fading black eye on Lizzie. She sighed. She picked up the photo next to it; it was a family photo, with the twins wearing matching outfits. Lizzie was smiling brightly, a front tooth missing. The twins didn’t look any older than seven years old. Hope compared the two photos; even at thirteen Lizzie already looked weathered and tired. 

“Sometimes I forget that things weren’t always like this,” Josie said from behind Hope. She picked up the frame of their 13th birthday. “I remember this day. Lizzie was so excited to become a teenager,” she reminisced fondly. “But she...had a little run in with some other girls the day before. She tried not to let it get to her, and I kept thinking that maybe this time would be the last, but it never was. It put a damper on things, but Lizzie still tried to be happy. I always admired her ability to find joy in the little things.”

Hope’s eyes were shining. She wished she had met Lizzie earlier; much, much earlier. 

Josie sighed. “I’m going to go downstairs to wait for her. Do you want to go home?”

Hope shook her head. “I’ll just stay up here.” She also wanted to wait, but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Josie seemed to understand, quietly leaving Hope in Lizzie’s room. She laid down on the bed, scrolling through her phone, and after a while, she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked this slightly introspective chapter. I enjoy writing people's thoughts more than I like writing dialogue. 
> 
> I also hope you've been catching the foreshadows so far...
> 
> Anyway you know the drill, leave a comment!


	9. A Christmas "Date"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie has a new special someone in her life. Hope invites Lizzie over to her house for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little filler but also not-so-filler chapter!

An hour later, Lizzie opened the front door to her house, not surprised to see her sister sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for her. She braced herself for whatever Josie had to say. 

Josie jumped up from the couch, the book she was reading falling to the floor. Her concern quickly turned into fury. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Josie all but screeched. “We were worried sick, Elizabeth.”

Lizzie frowned. “We?”

Josie sighed. “Yes, Hope’s been upstairs waiting for you.”

That gave Lizzie mixed feelings; on one hand, she was happy that Hope decided to stay and wait for her, on the other hand, Lizzie felt bad that she had worried both her sister and Hope. 

“That’s not the point though,” said Josie in a calmer tone. “Where were you?”

Lizzie didn’t particularly want to talk about her mental breakdown with her sister at the moment, so she opted for a vague explanation. “I was just on a drive. I needed some time to think.”

Josie narrowed her eyes. “And you couldn’t have answered your phone?”

Lizzie looked away, shaking her head. Josie relented; her sister was safe and sound and she clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Plus, she knew Lizzie just wanted to see Hope. 

“Fine.” Josie added quietly, “Please don’t disappear on me again, Liz.”

Lizzie nodded, making her way up the stairs. She opened the door to her bedroom and found a sleeping Hope curled up in her bed. The sight warmed her heart. Lizzie sat down next to her, taking a moment to admire her features. She reached out, moving some of Hope’s hair away from her face. Lizzie slightly shook the girl awake, not wanting to startle her, and Hope slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Lizzie and blinked, looking around the room, momentarily forgetting how she ended up asleep in Lizzie’s bedroom. When she regained her bearings, she turned to Lizzie. 

“Were you the one who clocked Dana in the face?” Hope asked suddenly. 

Lizzie couldn’t help but laugh at her boldness. “Out of all the things you could’ve said at this moment, _that_ certainly wasn’t one of them.”

Hope raised her eyebrows. “Did you?”

Lizzie gave her a small nod. Hope looked at her, worried. “What did she say to you?”

The blonde smiled at her. “Nothing I haven’t heard before,” she said softly. Even though no one had ever said that to Lizzie before, she sure as hell heard those words echo in her brain on many occasions. Something about Lizzie’s statement didn’t sit right with Hope, though. She leaned forward and caressed Lizzie’s cheek. The blonde leaned into her touch.

“And you’re okay?” Hope involuntarily eyed the broken glass in the corner; she didn’t want to push Lizzie for more information that she was willing to give, however Hope was more concerned than curious. You don’t shatter an entire mirror and then claim that you’re fine. 

Lizzie took a deep breath, still nuzzled into Hope’s hand. “I will be.”

Hope nodded, accepting the answer for now; she moved over, and tugged Lizzie down onto the bed, wanting the blonde to lay down next to her. Lizzie obliged, putting her arm around Hope and letting the shorter girl rest her head on Lizzie’s chest. As Lizzie heard Hope’s breathing even out, she looked at the broken mirror in the corner. 

Would she really be okay? She didn’t feel as though she was lying to Hope, but she didn’t know how much more she could handle. Her confrontation with Dana had opened a door in Lizzie’s mind, one that she definitely didn’t like. She shook her head, not wanting to spiral again, and hugged Hope a little tighter.

* * *

“What are you smiling at?” asked Lizzie, trying to peek at her sister’s phone. The twins and Hope were having their weekly lunch in the library, and Lizzie, being the nosy sister that she was, had been suspicious about her sister’s actions as of late. 

“Nothing,” muttered Josie, leaning away from her sister. 

“Josette, you’ve been giggling at your phone like a little kid, every time your phone vibrates you practically jump out of your seat, and not to mention, you’ve changed the route you take to class in the morning.” 

“Don’t argue with the detective here,” teased Hope. “So, who is it?”

Josie opened her mouth to argue that there wasn’t a “who”, but gave in when both Hope and Lizzie started staring her down.

“Alright, fine. I’ve been talking to this girl from one of my classes, and at first, I didn’t think she knew that I existed, but then we got partnered up for an activity, and she asked me for my number!” Somehow Josie managed to say that all in one breath. 

Lizzie smiled at her sister’s excitement; Josie didn’t have much of a track record when it came to romantic interests, so Lizzie was happy that her twin had found someone she really seemed to like. As an added bonus, that meant she had something to tease Josie with. 

“Well,” Lizzie said, trying not to laugh, knowing that what she was about to say would fluster her sister. “When am I going to meet her?”

“Lizzie!” Josie yelped. “We _just_ started talking.” Her cheeks began to turn pink, which made Lizzie smirk. 

“Pipe down, Jo, this is a library,” playfully chided Hope. “You’re going to get us kicked out.”

Josie sighed and stood up, packing away her things. 

“Where are you going?” asked Lizzie. “There’s still ten minutes left.”

Josie began to blush again. “Well, uh, she...asked me if we could walk to class together. I’m going to meet up with her.”

“Wow, walking to class together? You guys move fast.” 

Josie huffed and left the library, cheeks still a slight tinge of red. Hope and Lizzie burst into laughter once she was gone. 

Once they stopped laughing Hope turned to Lizzie and bit her lip. “Do you...have any plans this weekend?” she asked. 

Lizzie shook her head. “No, why do you ask?”

“Well, my parents are going to be out with my aunts and uncles, and I don’t want to be alone, so I was wondering if you wanted to come over? There’s a Christmas movie marathon happening, but if we can watch something else if you’d -”

“Hope,” said Lizzie, stopping the shorter girl’s rambling. “I’d love to come over.”

Hope beamed. Why was she so nervous? 

_It’s not like it’s a date, right?_ she thought. _It’s just me….and Lizzie. Watching some movies together, alone in my house. Friends do that, don’t they?_

“Hope...hello?” Lizzie was waving her hand in front of Hope’s face, trying to bring her back to reality. Once she was sure she had Hope’s attention, Lizzie spoke again. 

“Where did you go there? Did you uh, change your mind about wanting me to come over?” Lizzie began fiddling with the end of her sleeve. 

Hope’s eyes widened. “No! Not at all. I’m just...really looking forward to it.” 

Lizzie smiled and nodded. The two girls got up once they heard the bell ring, and went to class. 

Saturday came very quickly for Lizzie, and she found herself looking at her newly replaced mirror, trying to figure out what to wear. She heard a knock at her door, and relaxed when it was just her sister. 

“Ready for your date tonight?” asked Josie, smirking. 

Lizzie huffed. “It’s not a date, Josie! We’re just watching a movie, or two.” 

“I haven’t seen you this worried about an outfit since Mom let us go to our first school dance.”

“It was a rite of passage,” Lizzie stated, trying on a Santa hat.

Josie rolled her eyes, then made eye contact with her sister in the mirror. “She’s good for you, you know.”

Lizzie sighed. “Don’t.”

“Why not? She cares about you, and that’s obviously a big deal to you.”

“Maybe she deserves someone who’s mentally stable,” muttered Lizzie, half-hoping her sister didn’t hear what she said. 

Unfortunately, Josie did. She sighed. “Hope doesn’t care about that -”

“But I do, Josie!” snapped Lizzie. “You’ve...you’ve seen my episodes; she wouldn’t be able to handle them.”

“You haven’t given her the chance, Liz,” said Josie softly. She had a working pair of eyes, so she could see the way Hope looked at her sister. Lizzie had been harder to read, but they were twins, after all, and Josie could see that there was something special between her sister and Hope.

Lizzie shook her head, not saying another word. Josie could see that the conversation was over so she left, leaving Lizzie to get dressed. 

Lizzie had just finished putting on her favorite Christmas sweater when she heard her phone vibrate. She opened it when she saw that it was a text from Hope. 

_Hope: Ready for today?_

_Lizzie: Wouldn’t miss it for the world_

_Hope: Be careful okay? It’s snowing_

_Lizzie: I will :) See you soon_

Lizzie said bye to her parents and walked out to her car; Hope was right, it was starting to snow. She got into her car, turned on the heat, and reached over to the passenger’s seat, making sure that the present she got Hope was still neatly wrapped. Lizzie pulled out of the driveway and made her way over to Hope’s house.

Hope, on her part, was equal parts excited and nervous. Her family had left earlier, and Hope had been busy making sure there were enough snacks and drinks for the both of them, and she even made them a little fort out of her pillows and blankets. She had just turned on the tv when she heard the doorbell ring. Running down the stairs, she opened the door to find Lizzie, snow covering her hair and eyelashes, wearing a cute Christmas sweater and a Santa hat. Hope was at a loss for words. 

Lizzie gave her a bright smile. “Hi!”

Hope stopped staring and opened the door wider. “Come in, Liz.”

Lizzie looked around the house. “This place is huge,” she said, amazed. It had a high ceiling, a large chandelier, paintings all over the walls, and what Lizzie could see of the kitchen, that was big, too. 

Hope shut the door and walked up to Lizzie. “In addition to myself and my parents, my aunts and uncles live here, too. Oh, and my baby cousin.” 

“That sounds like a lot of people,” said Lizzie, looking down at Hope. 

Hope nodded. “When my dad’s job transferred us up here, my extended family wanted to come with us; apparently they’re all familiar with Mystic Falls. To make things easier, we all decided to live under one roof.”

“You guys must be big on family.”

“We are.” Hope glanced down, finally noticing the present Lizzie had in her hands. “What’s that?”

“Oh, this is for you!” Lizzie said, handing Hope the gift. “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but it’s winter break and I’m not sure when the next time I’ll see you will be -”

Lizzie was interrupted by Hope hugging her. “Thank you,” Hope mumbled into her chest. 

Lizzie giggled. “Well, isn’t there a movie we’re supposed to watch?”

Hope nodded and led Lizzie up the stairs into her room. Lizzie was stunned at the fact that Hope’s room was just as elegant as the living room. She noticed the assortment of pillows and the food and blushed a little. Hope never stopped surprising her. The two girls made themselves comfortable inside the fort and turned on the tv; by the end of the second movie Hope had her head in Lizzie’s lap, with the blonde stroking her auburn hair. When the movie ended, Hope sat up, yawning and stretching. Both girls stood up, then Hope remembered something. 

“I almost forgot, wait here!” she exclaimed, running to her closet and pulling out a wrapped canvas. Lizzie had mentioned wanting a painting for her room, so Hope took it upon herself to replicate a picture of the two of them that Josie had taken in front of the Mystic Grille. She was nothing but confident that Lizzie would love it. She handed the painting over to the blonde.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Lizzie joked, looking at the wrapping paper. 

Hope slapped her arm. “You can’t even see what it is!”

Lizzie laughed. “I’m sure I’ll love it anyway.”

The two girls maintained their eye contact for several moments; Lizzie, thinking about her conversation with Josie earlier, was the first to break away, but not before seeing (or at least she thought she saw) Hope looking down at her lips. 

“I should probably get going,” said Lizzie a little awkwardly.

“I’ll walk you to the door.” Hope tried to keep the sadness out of her voice. She didn’t want Lizzie to leave; she didn’t remember the last time she had so much fun with someone. Her friends back home in New Orleans were great, and she missed them, but Lizzie was different. She was smart, sarcastic, a bitch to others but truly kind on the inside, and even though her life hasn’t been the greatest, she still had a certain strength that Hope found admirable and very endearing. Lizzie was a breath of fresh air, and someone who Hope didn’t know she needed until she had her.

Hope went to open the door, and was almost immediately knocked back by a gust of wind. The girls looked outside, seeing what looked to be a snowstorm. Lizzie looked over to her car, which was surrounded by at least several inches of snow. 

“Um,” she said, turning to Hope. “Do you have a shovel?”

Hope shut the door. “You’re not driving in this weather.” She looked at her phone; her mom had texted her that her family would be staying at a hotel for the night, unable to make it home due to the roads being icy. 

Lizzie pulled out her own phone when she felt it vibrate in her pocket; her mom had also texted her, asking if Hope would let her spend the night and that her father would help dig the car out of the Mikaelson driveway in the morning. She showed Hope the text, and both girls tried not to squeal with delight. 

“You’ll need some clothes,” Hope stated, walking them back up the stairs. Lizzie was glad that she was able to stay the night; being with Hope made her feel safe, and even though her brain may doubt it sometimes, she wanted to believe that Hope wouldn't hurt her, even though the auburn-haired girl never gave a single indication that she would. 

The two girls continued watching another round of movies until very early in the morning, and by then, they were both dozing peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than expected. I have been SWAMPED with homework!
> 
> If Hope put this much effort into a not-date, then imagine what she would do for a real one 
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed this cute little Christmas chapter


	10. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrible things happen this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Suicide

_“Nobody cares about you,”_ echoed Dana’s voice in her head. 

_“Just because you’re never going to be happy doesn’t mean that I have to be miserable, too!”_ reverberated Josie’s voice in her skull.

_“Well would you look at that. She never wanted you after all,”_ sneered Alyssa’s voice.

_“Call me when you’ve pulled yourself together.”_ Somehow Hope’s voice was the loudest of them all. 

Out of the plethora of voices currently fighting their way up to the forefront of her brain, Lizzie didn’t hear a single “I love you”, an encouraging statement, or a positive affirmation; she wanted to hear _something_ , or see some sort of _sign,_ warning her that her next choice would be a huge mistake. 

When nothing happened, she sighed. It was the only sign she needed, or even expected. 

She didn’t know why she bothered. 

It was already too late.

* * *

**_FOUR DAYS EARLIER_ **

**MONDAY**

It was Valentine’s Day. After two months, Josie and her mystery girl had made things official and Josie still refused to tell Lizzie who she was. The brunette kept telling her that it would be “soon”, but Lizzie knew that Josie’s girlfriend would be picking her sister up for their Valentine’s Day date tonight, and Lizzie was going to peek outside to get a look at her. 

Lizzie, after being talked into by one Josie Saltzman, decided to be cheesy and ask Hope out on a date for that same night. After going through a number of ideas with her mom, she decided to take them out for a picnic by the lake. Lizzie hadn’t been feeling very well mentally as of late, and considered postponing until she left better, but Dr. Thomas had encouraged her to follow through. Thinking back on it, her therapist was right; the world didn’t stop spinning just because she was sad. She didn’t want to wait, she just wanted to be with Hope, and if there was even a slight chance that Hope had feelings for her, too, then Lizzie didn't want to keep her waiting either. 

Lizzie woke up early that morning, unable to fall back asleep until her alarm went off, and paced around the room; she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and walked over to the painting Hope had given her for Christmas. Lizzie nearly cried when she unwrapped it; she hoped that it would only be the first of many of Hope’s paintings that she would get to see. Lizzie had gotten Hope a necklace with her birthstone on it, and she had hoped that Hope liked it as much as Lizzie liked the painting. Fortunately, Hope arrived at school after the break wearing the necklace, and hadn’t taken it off since. 

Lizzie strolled into the school, nerves all over the place. Josie nudged her sister when she saw that Lizzie was trembling a little. 

“Everything’s going to be fine, Liz.”

Lizzie nodded. “You’re right.”

“She’s going to say yes and then we can start going on double dates!” Josie could hardly contain her excitement. 

Lizzie laughed. “Slow down there, Jo. I haven’t even asked her yet. Who knows, maybe she doesn’t like double dates.”

That made the brunette pout. “Then it’s your job to _make_ her like them.”

Lizzie fiddled with her hands. “We really shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves.”

“Oh no,” Josie said, flicking her sister on the forehead. “You are _not_ going to get all up in your head about it. She has such heart eyes for you it’s ridiculous.”

The blonde bit her lip. “What if I say the wrong thing? What if she thinks I’m just asking to hang out as friends?”

Josie scoffed. “You’re overthinking it. Maybe Hope’s been waiting for this moment; you’ll never know unless you try.”

Lizzie nodded. “I have to get to class. I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck!”

The twins went their separate ways, and Lizzie spent the entire day rehearsing her speech instead of paying attention to her classes. She wouldn’t see Hope at lunch since she usually ate with her friends on Mondays, so Lizzie had texted her to meet at Hope’s locker at the end of the day. When the final bell rang, Lizzie was making her way there when her path was blocked by none other than Alyssa Chang.

“Long time no see, loser.”

Lizzie sighed. “Don’t you have anything better to do? I have somewhere to be.” She tried to side step Alyssa but the girl managed to block her way again. 

“Somewhere, as in wherever Hope Mikaelson is? You should really make your heart eyes less obvious. It’s kinda sad really, how you desperately hang onto the first person who gives you attention.” 

Lizzie felt her rage bubbling up. The students were all leaving and she didn’t want to miss her chance. “Get out of my way.”

Alyssa shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Then she looked up at something behind Lizzie, and gave the blonde a sly smile. “Well would you look at that. She never wanted you after all.”

Lizzie whipped around just in time to see Landon hand Hope a bouquet of flowers. Lizzie couldn’t see Hope’s face, but she did see the shorter girl take the flowers and walk with Landon out of sight. Lizzie clenched her fists, hearing Alyssa snicker behind her. As Alyssa turned to walk away, something in Lizzie snapped; she grabbed a fistful of Alyssa’s hair, slamming her head into the nearest locker, just like she had done to Lizzie all those months ago. Alyssa fell to the ground, and the blonde didn’t hesitate to sit on top of her and start punching her face. When Lizzie was finally done, she stood up, suddenly horrified by what she had done; Alyssa’s face was covered in blood, and so was her right hand. She began shaking, and bolted into a bathroom, far, far away from the scene, and felt her breathing become shallow. Disgusted by her actions and unable to take a deep breath and think clearly, she took out her phone using her unbloodied hand and dialed her therapist.

_“Lizzie? Is everything alright?”_ Dr. Thomas’ concerned voice helped Lizzie calm down a little. 

“I-I did something bad. I don’t know what to do. I need help,” Lizzie desperately weeped into the phone. 

_“Are you still at school?”_ Lizzie could hear shuffling in the background of the call. 

“Yes. I’m hiding out in one of the bathrooms.”

_“Okay, Lizzie, listen to me. If you can, get to the nearest exit. I will find you, okay? Just wait for me.”_

Lizzie gulped. “Okay.”

_“Good. Don’t hang up. I’m on my way.”_

Lizzie got up, slowly, and tried to scrub the blood off her hand in the sink. She grabbed her backpack and stuck her head out the door, looking to make sure that no one was around. When the coast was clear, she practically jogged to the exit, which, luckily for her, wasn’t too far away. She sat outside, trying to regulate her breathing and waiting for Dr. Thomas to arrive. 

A black sedan suddenly appeared in front of her; Dr. Thomas stepped out and ran over to Lizzie, helping her up and into the car. She put Lizzie’s backpack into the back seat and buckled her seatbelt. 

“We’re going to my office, okay?” Dr. Thomas reassured her. 

All Lizzie could do was nod. She didn’t remember anything between the car ride and arriving at the office, but the next thing she knew she had a mug of coffee in one hand and a granola bar in the other. 

“Eat, Lizzie,” said Dr. Thomas, sitting down in front of her. “And while you’re at it, can you tell me what happened? I thought you were supposed to ask Hope out on a date today?”

Lizzie sighed and chewed on her granola bar. She drank it down with a sip of coffee before speaking. “I was supposed to,” she began, grimacing when she heard how raw her voice sounded. “But then stupid Alyssa Chang had to distract me before I could meet up with Hope. She looks behind me, and I turn around and see Landon, one of Hope’s friends, handing her some flowers. They both walk away; it’s like she forgot that we were supposed to meet up.”

“Is that all? You mentioned doing something bad on the phone,” asked the doctor gently. 

Lizzie looked away. “I don’t know. I got angry. I knocked her to the ground and started punching her. Her face was all bloody, and so was my hand. I felt terrible, so I ran. Then I called you.” Lizzie looked down at her lap, unable to make eye contact, afraid of being looked at with disappointment. 

“Lizzie look at me.” When the blonde complied, Dr. Thomas continued. “It could have happened to anybody, if provoked enough. I don’t think you punched her just because she distracted you from your goal; you finally let out a bit of those pent up emotions you’ve been harboring for years. You punched Dana, and now Alyssa. Physically assaulting students is never a good thing, Lizzie, but it’s nice to know that you’re finally fighting back, even if you went the wrong way about it. You’re not an angry person, so I won’t recommend anger management courses, however, I will advise you to not let these girls get under your skin again. It can cause more trouble to you than to them.”

Lizzie nodded. When her therapist deemed it safe for Lizzie to leave by herself, she took an Uber back to the school to pick up her car. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel, not knowing how she would explain this to her sister. Somehow, she made it up to her room without encountering anyone and closed the door. She was about to take a nap and sleep the rest of the day away when her sister burst through her bedroom door, two outfits in hand and a scowl on her face. 

“I thought I told you not to disappear on me again. I had to ask Hope for a ride home,” chastised Josie. 

“I’m sorry. I got into a fight,” whispered Lizzie.

Josie raised an eyebrow. “With who?”

The taller twin sighed. “Alyssa Chang.”

“Why?”

Lizzie shook her head, not wanting to explain. Josie set the outfits down on Lizzie’s bed and sat next to her sister. 

“You know, Hope didn’t mention a certain someone asking her out.”

Lizzie’s face hardened at the mention of Hope. Josie noticed her sister’s change in demeanor and frowned. 

“What happened?”

When Lizzie didn’t answer, Josie got up again. “Which outfit?” she asked, changing the subject. 

Lizzie let out a breath. “That one.” She pointed to the one on the right.

Josie nodded and went back to her room to get ready for her date. When Josie yelled that she was leaving, Lizzie tiptoed down the stairs, remembering her mission of finding out who this mystery date is. She slightly pulled back the curtain, and saw a girl in black jeans and a leather jacket step out of the car. When she walked closer to greet Josie, Lizzie finally saw her; she gasped and let the curtain fall. She ran up to her room, shut the door, and slid down onto the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. 

_Of course it had to be Penelope fucking Park,_ she thought miserably. Penelope had been part of Dana’s gang a few years back, and one of Lizzie’s worst bullies. She was the one who had given Lizzie the black eye the day before her 13th birthday, she was the one who shoved a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into Lizzie’s mouth even though the twins were allergic to peanut butter, and she had done a lot more, and a lot worse. For some reason, Penelope had stopped hanging out with Dana and started leaving Lizzie alone when they all got to high school. Lizzie never found out why, and she didn’t particularly care; seeing Penelope again brought up old memories that had Lizzie sobbing on the floor. Her stupid sister had to fall in love with someone who had hurt Lizzie in so many ways. She was there, in front of her _house_ , and it made Lizzie feel like she wasn’t safe in her own home anymore. She couldn’t tell Josie to stop seeing her, but she didn’t know what else to do. She ended up falling asleep on the floor, tears still coming out of her eyes, not wanting to wait for her sister to come back. 

It had truly been a terrible day.

**TUESDAY**

_“Lizzie? Are you alright? You’ve cancelled your appointments for the next two weeks,”_ asked Dr. Thomas when she finally got a hold of Lizzie. 

“Yeah, I just have a lot of after school stuff coming up. I don’t think I’ll take the full two weeks but it’s just in case,” said Lizzie, trying to manifest the normal energy her voice had. She hadn’t really spoken much in the past two days and she knew she sounded dull; she felt like it too. 

_“Well, okay. Call my receptionist as soon as you’re done with your activities so we can reschedule,”_ replied the therapist. 

Lizzie ended the call and sighed. She hated lying.

**WEDNESDAY**

It was the middle of the week and she had been avoiding her sister like the plague. She knew Josie wanted to talk about her date with Lizzie, but the blonde didn’t want to hear it. The car rides to and from school had been awkward, and Josie was rapidly growing worried about her sister. It wasn’t until Josie threw open Lizzie’s door that afternoon that Lizzie had to face reality. 

“What’s going on, Lizzie?” Josie basically yelled. “I’ve been patient, but you’re clearly not going to talk to me anytime soon.”

Lizzie turned around from where she was seated at her desk. She took one look at her sister’s face and knew that there was no way she was going to win this fight. 

**  
** “You’ve been acting differently since Monday. I know you didn’t ask Hope out otherwise you’d be jumping for joy, and Alyssa Chang has been complaining about you to anyone who will listen. Not to mention you haven’t even asked me about my date. So I’m going to ask you one more time: _What’s. Going. On._ ”

“I know who you’re dating,” Lizzie began. “I know it’s that _bitch_ Penelope Park.” She got up and stood face to face with her sister. 

Josie was taken aback by Lizzie’s cold tone and immediately got defensive of her girlfriend. “She’s not a bitch, Lizzie. How the hell would you know who she is?”

Lizzie stalked over to her desk and grabbed their 13th birthday picture. “She did this to me,” she said, pointing at her black eye. “She nearly killed me by shoving peanut butter in my mouth; she paid someone to push me down a flight of stairs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, Josie. She is a _horrible_ human being and it’s better if I don’t see her ever again.” 

Josie was frozen in shock, unable to look at anything other than the bitter look on her sister’s face. She shook her head, snapping out of her trance. “How did I not notice, then? That she was doing all of this?”

“Because you were too busy living your best life.” Lizzie had been speaking in a very measured tone, but she knew sooner or later she was going to explode. 

“You chose not to tell me anything!”

“You should be thanking me! Because you have everything you’ve ever wanted, because you didn’t end up like me!”

“Stop -”

“I _let_ you live in ignorance because I thought it would keep you safe, and I was right.”

“I don’t believe you,” Josie said quietly. “There’s no way Penny would do those things.” 

Lizzie was appalled. “Why would I lie? You don’t think I want you to be happy?”

“I think you’re jealous,” said Josie, pointing her finger at Lizzie. “You’re right. I have everything I’ve ever wanted and I think you hate that.”

Lizzie was too in shock to say anything. Josie continued. “I’m not going to stop seeing her, because even if what you said is true, she wouldn’t do anything like that now.”

Lizzie was beyond angry. Her sister was choosing a bully over her own twin. “Then you’re as horrible as she is. Hope was right, you do only care about protecting yourself -”

Lizzie winced in pain. Her sister had slapped her. 

“Just because you’re never going to be happy doesn’t mean that I have to be miserable, too!”

For a second, Lizzie couldn’t do anything but clutch at her stinging cheek. Then, she looked at Josie with all the hate she could muster. 

“You’re dead to me,” whispered Lizzie, venom dripping from her voice. 

Josie hadn’t expected that reaction; she didn’t even mean to slap her sister, but she couldn’t take it back. She ran out of the room, sobbing. 

Lizzie slammed the door shut. She looked at her face in the mirror, and saw the bright red hand print Josie’s slap had left on her cheek. She couldn’t bring herself to cry. She wouldn’t cry for a sister who had thrown her under the bus for some girl.

**THURSDAY**

Lizzie had stayed home from school that day, not wanting to be in the same building as the girl she used to call her sister. Her mom had left town for a conference that morning, and seeing how terrible Lizzie looked, she decided to let the younger blonde take the day off. She had slept in, only waking up at noon to check her phone. She had five missed calls and at least twenty texts from Hope since Monday. 

_Hey, where are you? I thought we were supposed to meet up_

_Are you okay? I haven’t seen you at all this week_

_Lizzie please pick up the phone_

_Talk to me_

_Why is Josie upset? What happened?_

_Why aren’t you responding?_

_Please please call me_

_I’m coming over. I need to tell you something_

Lizzie received that last message as soon as she opened her phone. Not wanting to be home when Hope busted down her door, she got up and decided to to spend the day in town. Most people were either at work or at school, so it was relatively empty. Lizzie got a milkshake and some food from the Grille and decided to eat her lunch over by the lake. It was nice, Lizzie had to admit, having the day to herself. It reminded her of when she used to come into town alone, before she met Hope. It seemed appropriate, like everything was coming full circle. When Lizzie had finished her lunch, she made the walk back to her car; she took in the scenery around her. There was a strange finality to it, like she’d never experience it again.

She next decided to go to Dr. Thomas’ office. School wasn’t over yet and Lizzie sure as hell didn’t want to go home. As she would usually do, she parked in the parking lot and took the elevator up. And as usual, the receptionist greeted her, but there was a sad look on her face. 

She nodded in the direction of Dr. Thomas’ office. “She’s in there.”

Lizzie walked in and saw her therapist putting her belongings into a small cardboard box. 

“What’s going on?”

Dr. Thomas looked up. “Hello, Lizzie. I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”

Lizzie looked around at the empty office; the two chairs were still there, but the coffee machine was gone and Dr. Thomas’ degrees and certifications weren’t on the wall anymore. She looked over at her therapist, who had a sort of quiet resignation on her face. She walked up to Lizzie.

“My supervisor found out about my little stunt the other day when I went to pick you up from school. I’m not supposed to leave the building during work hours and somehow I got caught. I’ve been suspended.” When Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, she continued. “And before you say anything, you have nothing to be sorry about. I knew the risks, and my patient needed help. I don’t regret anything. Everything’s going to be fine, Lizzie.” 

Lizzie nodded, not knowing what to say. Dr. Thomas seemed to understand, because she walked Lizzie to the door. “You can still call me - they don’t know that I used my personal cell. If you need help again, you know who to dial.”

The next thing she knew she was in her car, staring at nothing for what seemed like hours. She broke out of her absentmindedness when she heard her phone vibrate. She looked at her phone and saw that Hope was calling her. She looked at Hope’s smiling face on the screen for a couple more seconds then chucked her phone behind her into the backseat. She started the car.

There was nothing left for her to do here.

**FRIDAY**

Lizzie decided to show up for school, waking up early so she could take the car and leave before Josie. Her twin could figure out a way to get to school. 

She dragged herself into the building, taking different routes to her classes so Hope wouldn’t be able to find her. Her plan to avoid the shorter girl quickly failed when she cornered Lizzie in the library.

“I knew I’d find you eventually,” said Hope, trying for a lighthearted opening. Saying that she was worried was an understatement; she nearly had a panic attack thinking that something bad had happened to Lizzie. She didn’t understand why the blonde was avoiding her, but she was determined to find out. 

Lizzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath when she heard that familiar voice. She should have known better than to think that Hope would give up looking for her; part of her hoped that she would. Going to the library was a dumb move on Lizzie’s part. She kept reorganizing the bookshelves, not responding to Hope.

Hope frowned at Lizzie ignoring her. She grabbed the taller girl’s arm and spun her around. She had to physically take a step back when she saw Lizzie’s face. Dull and bloodshot eyes, bags under her eyes, and a miserable look on her features. She dragged Lizzie to the back of the library. 

“Why have you been avoiding me?” she asked. 

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” Lizzie said, trying to sound confident. 

Hope tilted her head, not buying it. "Talkto me. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you this entire week.”

Lizzie shook her head, not trusting her voice and fearing that she’d cry if she opened her mouth. Hope, frustrated but not wanting to yell at the obviously distressed girl, decided to leave and let the blonde come to her when she was ready. 

“Call me when you’ve pulled yourself together.” Hope squeezed her hand and left.

Lizzie, seeing Hope walk away, looking tired and disappointed, felt something die within her. She decided to screw it and go home, but not before stopping by Hope’s locker and dropping something off. 

Half an hour later, she was sitting on her bed, trying to get ahold of her parents, feeling desperate. When they didn’t pick up she slowly put the phone down on her desk, realizing that no one was coming to help her and quietly resigned to her fate. 

With her thoughts consuming her, she walked over to her closet, trying to find her nicest outfit. 

Her parents were gone, her sister hated her, she had no therapist, and the girl that she loved, probably feeling like they were back at square one, had most likely given up on her. 

Where did it all go wrong? How did it take less than a week for it _all_ to go wrong?

Maybe it was always supposed to end up like this.

* * *

Hope knew something was wrong the minute Lizzie hadn’t shown up for their meeting on Monday. She had been about to look for the blonde when Landon appeared, flowers in hand, asking if she wanted to go out with him. Hope had walked them to somewhere more private, rejected his advances, knowing her heart belonged to someone else, and sent him on his way. When Lizzie didn’t show she sent her a text, then another, a few phone calls, and some more texts; suddenly it was Thursday, and still no word from Lizzie. 

Hope came home that Friday, sad and very confused. She went nearly five days without seeing or hearing from Lizzie, which drove her nearly crazy. She was relieved to know that Lizzie was still in one piece but she clearly wasn’t okay, and that scared Hope a lot. 

She regretted leaving her there, in the library. Lizzie was going through something and Hope didn’t even ask her if she was okay. 

Josie hadn’t been much help, either. When Hope had asked about her sister Josie nearly burst into tears. Something had happened between the two of them, but neither twin seemed to want to talk about it.

Hope sighed, putting all thoughts about the twins aside and took out her books to do homework. An envelope fell out from one of them. There was something written on the front.

_I understand if you’re mad at me. I hope you read this eventually._

_-Lizzie_

Something about that sent chills down Hope’s spine. She opened the envelope, and took out a letter.

_Hope,_

_I hope (no pun intended) that you’ve decided to read this letter, whether it’s now, five years, or even ten._

_As you know, my life has been a series of things that have left me with a broken mind, body, and spirit. Happiness was my goal, for a time. I was an idiot to think that things would get better. This week alone has taught me that there are things much worse than death. At least in death I can escape the torment and sorrow that has taken over my brain. There’s really no escape for me. This is the only way._

_I never thought I would love and be loved, that is, until I met you. You were kind and you were pure. But you were the spark on an already dying flame._

_I was already drowning, but you pulled me back to the surface, and for a while I could breathe. You made me the happiest I’ve ever been._

_Then I saw Landon hand you those flowers and I realized that I would always be the second choice, the consolation prize. I hope he makes you happy, you deserve it._

_I wanted you to be mine. And I couldn’t stand to watch someone else call you theirs._

_As for my sister, she also chose someone over me, her own flesh and blood. And that’s when it hit me: not even my family is capable of loving me._

_I’m sorry that this letter is your last impression of me. I wish I could have done more for you._

_Maybe in another life we could be happy._

_Thank you for giving me a chance and being my friend._

_I love you,_

_Liz_

Hope was full on sobbing by the end of the letter. Panicking, and vision blurry with tears, she urgently picked up her phone, ready to call Lizzie, when she received a text from Josie.

_Josie: You need to get to the hospital. Now._

_Josie: It’s Lizzie._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was equal parts nervous and excited about posting this
> 
> Other than that I have nothing else to say
> 
> Yell at me in the comments


	11. The Hospital

“Where is she?!” Hope yelled as she burst through the emergency room doors. She looked around frantically, eyes wide and bloodshot, for any member of the Saltzman family. Her vision was suddenly obscured. 

“Hope.” It was Josie. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears still threatening to spill out. She tried grabbing Hope by the shoulders, but the shorter girl wasn’t having it. 

“Let me go! Where is she?” 

“Hope!” Josie raised her voice as much as she could, her throat still raw from crying and not wanting to cause a scene. Hope relented and let Josie walk them over to the other side of the room, where Alaric was stuttering his way through a conversation, probably with Caroline. The father of two was also agitated and looking just as desperate as Hope was for answers. He got up and walked away to look for a more quiet location as the girls approached. 

Josie sat Hope down in one of the chairs. She opened her mouth to speak, then looked at Hope’s lap. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at something in Hope’s hand. 

Hope looked down and realized that she was still holding the letter; she hadn’t let go of it since she read it.

“Her letter,” Hope said quietly. 

Josie frowned in confusion, then her eyes widened in horror. “She left a letter?” She started pacing back and forth, mumbling incoherently. “Why would she do this?” she cried out, mostly to herself.

Hope, suddenly remembering what Lizzie had said about her sister in the letter, leveled a glare at the brunette. Josie stopped pacing; she looked at Hope in confusion and a little bit of fear. Hope stood up. 

“You wanna know why she would do something like this?” she asked in a dangerously low voice. “Read the damn letter.” She shoved the piece of paper into Josie’s hand.

Josie took one last look at Hope and began reading. Hope sat down again and watched as Josie’s eyes scanned the page. Once she was done, the twin dropped to her knees and began crying, hiding her face in her hands. 

“Hope, I-”

Seeing Josie’s sobs angered Hope even more. “What _exactly_ did you do?” she asked, trying to maintain her composure. 

“My...my girlfriend,” Josie tried to explain. “S-she used to bully Lizzie. But it was years ago! She wouldn’t do that now…”

“Let me guess, Lizzie didn’t like the fact that her sister’s dating someone who used to hurt her?”

“She wouldn’t do that!” Josie repeated, insisting that Penelope was a changed person. 

At this point, Hope was fuming. “And you chose _her?_ Over your sister? Did it ever occur to you that you were the _last_ person Lizzie expected to give up on her?”

All Josie could do was stare, mouth opening and closing, trying to form words to try and defend herself but coming up short. Hope wasn’t done, though. 

  
“You can’t play innocent anymore, Josie,” Hope said, pointing an index finger at the taller girl. “You’ve hurt Lizzie more than you’ve ever helped her. I mean, look where we _are!_ Maybe we wouldn’t be here if you had stopped being so _selfish_ and actually shown some love to the one person who needed it the most!”

Hope was suddenly tired. None of them should be here. Lizzie didn’t deserve to be here. Hope was overwhelmed with emotions; she just wanted to see the blonde in whatever shape she was in, good or bad. Her mind began to spiral, thinking of a life without Lizzie. She let out a small sob. She couldn’t bear the thought of Lizzie dying in general, much less Lizzie dying thinking that she was unloved and unwanted. 

The truth was that they all let her down - everyone that Lizzie had ever met let her down. The school principal, everyone who had just sat back and watched as Lizzie was beaten, her parents, Josie, _everyone_ had a hand in this. There were so many options, so many opportunities that could have prevented this, but no one did a damn thing.

After a couple of hours, a doctor came out. 

“Alaric Saltzman?” he called out. Hope looked at Josie, who had broken out of her stupor and looked around the room for her father, who had not yet returned. She got up and walked over to the doctor, explaining that Alaric had taken a call and that she was his daughter. The doctor nodded and pulled her aside. When Josie came back, she was teary-eyed again, though she didn’t look particularly upset. Hope sat up, waiting for some sort of news. 

Josie wiped her tears with her sleeve. She walked over to Hope, not quite making eye contact with her, and giving the shorter girl the best news she had ever received.

“She’s going to be okay.”

* * *

Lizzie groaned and slowly opened her eyes, blinking and squinting at the bright lights above her. Right away, a face appeared in front of her. 

“Hi, sweetie,” said the nurse. “You’re okay now.” She gave Lizzie a smile then left the room.

Lizzie tried to move, but her entire body ached and her stomach felt someone had stabbed it. She took in her surroundings; she was attached to IV tubes, an oxygen mask was on her face, and she heard the faint beeping of a heart monitor somewhere above her. Realizing that she was at the hospital, and that she survived her attempt, she let a tear slip from her eye. 

  
She hadn’t planned on what to do if she survived. She didn’t have the heart to face her family, or Hope - the idea terrified her. Then she remembered _why_ she had made the attempt to begin with and figured that no one would come see her anyway. Relaxed and comforted by that thought, she buried her head deeper into the pillows and drifted back into slumber, escaping reality once more.

After two hours of monitoring, the doctor came in to see how she was doing. By that point they had decided that Lizzie could breathe on her own and got rid of the oxygen mask.

“Everything looks good,” he said, looking at her vitals. “I believe you’re well enough to receive visitors.”

Lizzie mustered enough strength to shake her head. The doctor sighed. 

“I can’t stop people from coming in. You can ask them to leave but I don’t have the power to ban them from the room. Besides,” he said, putting a hand on Lizzie’s shoulder. “You’ve just been through something traumatic and it’s best if you aren’t alone.” He then left the room. 

Even though Lizzie was almost certain that no one was outside the room waiting to see her, she had a strange feeling in her gut. She was immediately proven wrong when her father burst in, nearly taking the door off its hinges. 

“Oh god, Elizabeth,” he whispered. The sight of her dad, worried and exhausted, made Lizzie even more upset. 

“Your mother’s on her way home, okay?” he said, pulling up a seat next to her. He took her hand, and began talking about his day; Lizzie knew his ramblings were just a way to distract her, and himself. She didn’t remember the last time he had spoken to her this much. After a while (how long, Lizzie didn’t know), he got up, kissing her head, and left to go get something to eat.

Lizzie, emotionally exhausted from seeing her father, once again closed her eyes, trying to fall back asleep. She nearly succeeded when she felt a weight settle on top of her. 

When Josie had mentioned that Lizzie was going to be fine, Hope had never felt more relieved in her life. Josie went to go look for her father, who, as soon as he heard the news, hung up the phone and almost ran toward his daughter’s room. A little while later, he came back out, patting Josie on the shoulder and mentioning that he was going to go down to the cafeteria. He pointed his head in the direction that he had just come from, silently telling the girls that they were free to go see the blonde. When he was gone, Josie turned to Hope. 

“You should go,” said Hope.

Josie shook her head. “She doesn’t want to see me.” 

Hope sighed. Had she been a little rough on Josie? Probably not; the girl needed to hear how terrible she had been to her sister. Josie being afraid to see her twin, who nearly died, however, meant that the twins’ relationship had been more damaged than Hope had previously believed. There was nothing she could do about it now, so she got up and braced herself for whatever she was about to see.

Hope opened the door, closing it behind her and turning around to face Lizzie, who had her eyes closed. She sharply inhaled at the sight of her friend. She was so _pale,_ and if there wasn’t a heart monitor in the room Hope would almost believe that she was actually dead. Hope approached slowly, not wanting to wake the blonde. As she got closer, something snapped inside of her, and she burst into tears, climbing in bed next to Lizzie. 

“Please don’t leave me,” she sobbed, clutching at Lizzie’s hospital gown like it was her lifeline. Hope knew that Lizzie was going to be fine, but she couldn’t help but imagine that something was going to go wrong. 

Lizzie opened her eyes and immediately spotted auburn hair. _Hope,_ she thought. The shorter girl’s sobs broke Lizzie’s heart; she looked so tiny laying next to her. Lizzie, still not able to fully move her body, managed to move her arm and rest her hand on Hope’s cheek. Hope felt the warmth on her face and looked up; Lizzie’s eyes were half-opened, looking down at her. Hope took Lizzie’s hand off of her face and intertwined their fingers. She moved her head, laying it comfortably on Lizzie’s chest, making sure not to hurt the blonde; she closed her eyes when she heard Lizzie’s sluggish heartbeat. Once Lizzie had fallen asleep again, Hope let go of her hand and sent a text to her mom, telling her that Lizzie was fine and that she was staying at the hospital overnight.

_Everything’s going to be okay,_ Hope told herself. _It has to be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like it's been forever since I updated! It's literally been like 4 days how dramatic of me
> 
> Anyway this was the immediate fallout resulting from the last chapter so I hope you all liked it
> 
> What's going to happen from here? Are Lizzie and Josie going to make up? Who knows!


	12. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie comes home from the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys are really going to like this chapter :)

“I think that goes...there,” said Hope, taking a card from Lizzie’s hands and placing it on the small portable table on Lizzie’s lap. Hope was cuddled into the blonde’s side, watching the girl play Solitaire. It was a couple of days later, and Lizzie had regained most of her strength; the doctor said that she was cleared to leave the following day. 

Hope had returned to the hospital, after showering and changing clothes, with Lizzie begging her to go eat something that wasn’t hospital cafeteria food. When she came back a day later she was relieved to see that Lizzie looked several times better than when Hope had left. She had always admired the taller girl’s self-preservation skills. 

Caroline had also stopped by, arriving straight from the airport. After fussing over her daughter for several hours and creating a safety plan with the doctor she finally left, telling Lizzie that she would be there first thing tomorrow to take her home. Josie hadn’t come back to the hospital; Hope knew that she was too scared to face her sister. She wanted to ask Lizzie about their fight, but she didn’t want to agitate the already fragile girl.

“Maybe you should take over since you’re such a professional,” Lizzie teased, resting her head on top of Hope’s. Hope sighed happily at the feeling. She lightly slapped the blonde’s arm. 

“You’re so mean to me sometimes,” she pouted, which caused Lizzie to giggle. Hope yawned and Lizzie proceeded to put the cards away, pushing them, as well as the table, away from her. 

“Do you want to go home? It’s late and you have school tomorrow,” Lizzie asked, turning her body to face Hope. 

The shorter girl pulled the blanket up to cover them a bit more, then laid back down and closed her eyes. “No,” she said. “I’m not going.” She opened up one eye to peek at the blonde, who was looking down at her disapprovingly. 

“Going home or to school?” Lizzie asked. 

“Neither.”

“Hope, you can’t miss school just because you don’t want to go,” the taller girl scolded. 

Hope frowned and sat up. “You did.”

_Oh boy,_ Lizzie thought. They were going to have _that_ conversation. Nonetheless, the girl was shocked at Hope’s tone and physically moved a little bit away from her. 

“That was different,” Lizzie whispered, looking down.

Now that Hope had opened the door to this discussion she realized just how affected she was by this whole thing; she needed to let the blonde know how hurt she was. 

“No you’re right. You weren’t just going to miss school, you were going to miss out on birthdays, graduations, not to mention _life!_ ” 

Hope’s voice had been gradually getting louder as she spoke until she was practically yelling. Lizzie didn’t even flinch, though. She knew Hope needed to express her frustration, and frankly, she was glad. Lizzie knew her actions were going to hurt the people close to her one way or another, she just never expected to be around to see the fallout. All she did was look away as Hope calmed down; once Hope did she leaned forward and grabbed Lizzie’s chin in a gentle hold, making the blonde meet her gaze. 

“You scared me, Liz,” she said quietly. “I’ve never been more scared in my life.”

“I’m sorry,” said Lizzie just as quietly. “I thought you’d all be better off -”

Hope cut her off. “Shh. I don’t need to hear it. I don’t _want_ to hear it. I care about you, and I know sometimes you struggle with believing it and it feels like I don’t but I do. I need you to hear it from me. I know your mind is a terrifying place but I _care_ , Lizzie. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Lizzie nodded, putting her head down on the pillows as she contemplated Hope’s words. She had never asked anyone for anything, she had never pushed someone to be her friend, or begged for someone to care. She had told herself long ago that she didn’t need friends, but deep down all she ever wanted was for someone to tell her that someone cared about her wellbeing, to feel like she was wanted. Before she knew it she was silently crying, staring into oblivion. Hope laid down next to her, kissing her forehead and putting an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

“Lizzie...Liz, wake up,” muttered Hope, shaking the blonde awake. “Your mom’s here.”

Lizzie rubbed her eyes and stretched, grumbling at being woken up so early. Hope let out a small laugh; she realized that Lizzie was never going to be a morning person. 

Caroline walked into the room, a pile of clothes in hand. “Good morning, ladies.” She walked up to Lizzie and kissed her head. “Here’s some clothes for you to change into. I’m going to sign some papers and then we can leave, okay?” The girls nodded.

Hope grabbed her overnight bag and went to the bathroom to change. The nurse came in, removed Lizzie’s IV, and asked her some last minute questions to determine if she felt worse or if anything had changed overnight. Once the blonde assured her that she was fine, the nurse left. Hope came out of the bathroom and Lizzie got up to go get ready. As she stood up she nearly fell, her legs weak from not using them for several days. 

Hope ran to her side, steadying her. “Careful, babe.” Her eyes widened as she soon as the pet name left her mouth. Lizzie looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks. Hope knew they needed to talk about whatever was going on between them, and she also needed to clear up the misunderstanding with Landon. Part of her wanted to wait until Lizzie was better, but if she had learned anything these past few days, it’s that life was unpredictable and Lizzie could be ripped away from her at any time. If the blonde had died Hope would’ve spent the rest of her life regretting not telling Lizzie how she felt. Once Hope was satisfied that Lizzie wouldn’t fall she let the taller girl go, watching her as she entered the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, Lizzie leaned on the wall, taking a deep breath. She was scared to go home, she was scared to see her family, and she was _terrified_ to go back to school. Being at the hospital had been nice. There were no responsibilities, no expectations, and no one harassing her on a daily basis. Spending some time with Hope had been pleasant as well. The girl didn’t ask why she did what she did, she already knew, and she never expected anything from Lizzie other than for her to keep being herself. Lizzie started to shake as she put on her clothes. As soon as she left the hospital she would be thrown back into a world where people were nothing but cold and cruel. All the reasons why Lizzie had tried to kill herself were still present, and she knew that nothing would really change for her. That’s the part that was most disheartening: the fact that her near-death experience wouldn’t change a damn thing for anyone. Not even Dr. Thomas was around to bear witness to her struggle. 

She was broken out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. “Lizzie? Are you okay?” asked Hope’s gentle voice.

Lizzie cleared her throat and finished putting on her clothes. “I’m fine,” she called out, trying to even her voice. “I’ll be out in a second.” She splashed some water on her face and opened the door, purposely avoiding Hope’s eyes as she was sure that the shorter girl was closely watching her. Fortunately, Caroline came back in at that moment, a stack of papers in hand; Lizzie assumed that it was her safety plan. She had a feeling that this “safety plan” consisted of someone watching her 24/7, an adjustment to her medication, and some recommendations for new therapists because her life sucked and the therapist she actually liked was punished for potentially saving a life. Granted, she almost died by her own hand not too long after, but she still missed her doctor. She didn’t want a new one. She could deal with her meds, and having people constantly hovering over her was going to be annoying, but she refused to start over with a new therapist. Part of her felt guilty, though, and was kind of glad that her therapist had been suspended. Dr. Thomas had confided in her the reason why she became a therapist to begin with and her patient had almost gone and taken the same exact route. Lizzie wasn’t ready to face Dr. Thomas just yet; she just needed more time to come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t dead.

“Let’s go, girls,” Caroline said, waving her car keys. 

The car ride was pleasantly quiet. It was just Lizzie and her mom, with Hope following behind them in her own vehicle. Lizzie was looking out of the window, taking the familiar scenery that she never thought she’d see again. Her mom was humming quietly, listening to the radio. Lizzie appreciated that her mom didn’t ask her any questions, but Lizzie knew she was worried. Her mom had burst into the hospital, luggage in hand, and was in near hysterics when she saw her daughter lying half-dead and hooked up to machinery. Between her parents, her mom was the more empathetic of the two. If anyone was going to become a helicopter parent while Lizzie recovered, it was going to be her mother. At least she had become more relaxed once she was assured that Lizzie was going to make it and that they weren’t going to lock her up in a psychiatric ward. 

The duo arrived at the house, getting out of the car as Hope parked right behind them. Caroline gave her daughter a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as she unlocked the front door. Lizzie stepped inside and wasn’t surprised to find it empty; it’s not like she expected some sort of warm welcome, right?

“Josie’s still asleep and your dad’s at work,” said Caroline, as if she knew what the younger blonde was thinking. 

_Of course he’s working,_ Lizzie thought. Of course her father would try to distract himself with work instead of coming with her mom to the hospital or be there to greet her as she came home.

Lizzie nodded and made her way up to her room with Hope in tow. She opened the door to her bedroom, sharply inhaling as she remembered the last time she was in this room, when _it_ happened. Hope grabbed her hand and sat her down on the bed, reaching into her bag and handing her a bottle of water. Lizzie took it with a smile. 

“When did you become my personal assistant?” she joked. “I’m not paying you, you know.”

Hope huffed. “I’m still sending you the bill.”

Lizzie laughed, then she turned to fully face the shorter girl. “You should go home,” she said sincerely. “I’m sure your family misses you.”

Hope shook her head. “They understand that I need to be here. To support you.”

Normally, Hope’s gestures would make her heart soar, but Lizzie still felt a bit of guilt in the pit of her stomach. “You can’t keep making these sacrifices for me. Skipping school, being away from your family - I don’t want you to do that for me. Just knowing that you care is enough.” 

Hope sighed. “I don’t see them as sacrifices, Lizzie. I’m not here because of guilt or a sense of obligation. I’m here because you’re my friend and you need me. You’ve been alone for so long and I don’t want you to feel like that again.”

Lizzie relented; Hope was the most stubborn person she had ever encountered and Lizzie knew that this was a fight she wouldn’t win. 

“I’m sure your friends are very close to filing a missing person’s report,” Lizzie said, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m sure Landon misses you,” she added quietly, looking at her lap. 

Hope’s brow furrowed in confusion at the mention of Landon, then her expression quickly changed, realizing what the blonde meant. She placed her hand on top of Lizzie’s.

“Landon and I aren’t a thing.” She laughed internally, remembering the incident and how Landon awkwardly shoved the flowers into her hands. “Yes I took the flowers and yes I walked away with him but only because I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed when I said no to a date with him.” 

“We’re not dating,” she reiterated. “We’re just friends.”

Lizzie’s eyes lit up a little with hope, and Hope knew she couldn’t hold back any longer. 

“He’s not the one that I want,” she whispered, so quietly that Lizzie had to lean closer to hear her. 

Lizzie looked at her. “Who do you want?”

Hope swallowed. It was now or never. “I-I want…” She looked down at Lizzie’s lips. 

_Fuck it,_ she thought, and surged forward. 

Lizzie blinked three times before she realized what was happening. As Hope went to pull away Lizzie put her hand on Hope’s neck, keeping her close. Neither girl knew how long they had been kissing for but it was the need for air that finally separated them. Hope intertwined their fingers. 

“I want _you,_ Lizzie,” said Hope, finishing her sentence. 

“Me?” Lizzie pointed at herself.

“Yes, dummy,” Hope giggled. “Or else I wouldn’t have kissed you.”

Lizzie turned red at that. She cleared her throat. “I-I don’t know how to do this...this relationship thing...”

Hope took Lizzie’s face in her hands. “Neither do I. But it doesn’t matter as long as I have you.” She pulled the blonde’s face closer to her. “Now kiss me again, because I might actually die if you don’t.”

Lizzie laughed at her dramatics and leaned in again, capturing the auburn-haired girl’s lips with a newfound confidence. 

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” said Lizzie, reluctantly pulling away from Hope. 

She frowned as Josie poked her head in, stepping in so her body was half out the door and half in the room. Hope saw the scowl on Lizzie’s face and put her hand on the blonde’s knee.

“Hi Lizzie,” Josie murmured, fiddling with her hands. 

“Josie,” Lizzie replied, voice flat.

“I broke up with Penelope.”

Lizzie raised her eyebrow. “Oh? And it took me almost dying for you to do that?”

Josie winced, and Lizzie’s tone was so cold that even Hope flinched. 

“Lizzie, I’m sorry -," Josie began, but stopped when the blonde stood up and walked towards her. Hope looked between the twins with apprehension. 

“For what? For...throwing me under the bus all these years? For choosing some bully over me? For hitting me?” 

Hope frowned. She didn’t know about that last part. 

“Look,” Lizzie continued, softening her tone as she saw the look of shame on her sister’s face. “I was out of line when I said that you were dead to me, but I meant everything else. You have a lot to make up for, and I don’t know how you’re going to do it, but I just need time.”

Josie nodded, eyes tearing up. Lizzie hated seeing her sister cry; she resisted the urge to comfort her and walked back over to the bed, going back to her previous position next to Hope. Josie left the room, closing the door without another word. 

Hope turned to Lizzie. “She hit you?” 

Lizzie sighed. “I don’t know when to stop being dramatic, do I? It was just a slap.”

“She still hit you. There’s really no excuse for that.” Hope caressed Lizzie’s cheek, noticing the small, fading bruises on it that lined up perfectly with her fingers. She kissed the spot before walking over to the other side of the room where her bag was. Lizzie’s eyes widened when she saw that Hope had brought an entire duffel bag full of stuff. 

“Hope, you’re not moving in, are you? We started dating like, ten minutes ago.” 

Hope laughed, pulling out her laptop. “No, stupid. I did bring some clothes, but it’s mostly snacks and board games.”

Lizzie smiled as Hope laid down on the bed, opening her laptop to play a movie. Lizzie joined her, throwing an arm over Hope's waist and putting her head on Hope’s shoulder. Both girls were happy that they didn’t have to hold back their feelings anymore. Lizzie didn’t feel as hopeless as she did just an hour before; she loved Hope and Hope loved her back. For the first time in Lizzie’s life, she didn’t feel lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, am I right? 
> 
> I considered ending the story here and writing the epilogue but it didn't feel right
> 
> The worst is over, there will be bumps of course, but it's all uphill from here


	13. House Arrest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. This came out a little later than I expected. 
> 
> Anyway here's another little filler chapter. It's pretty much just a setup for the next one.
> 
> Apologies for the length. I know it's a bit short but I wanted to give y'all something to read while I work on the next chapter.

“Hello?” said Lizzie, answering the phone. 

_“Hi, Liz,”_ Hope replied as she got into her car. _“Did you have a good day today?”_

Lizzie yawned. “Oh, fantastic. I just woke up.” She heard Hope lightly chuckle. 

_“Babe it’s 3 in the afternoon,”_ Hope playfully chastised. She wondered how her girlfriend could sleep more than nine hours. 

  
“Hope, I literally have nothing better to do while under _house arrest.”_ Lizzie stressed the last two words, wanting to hear Hope laugh and also for the sake of being dramatic. Following Lizzie’s hospital stay, Caroline had informed the school, who gave Lizzie a week off and her teachers had been sending her homework. Lizzie was grateful for the work; she didn’t want to fall behind, plus she needed something to keep her occupied. She was still “high risk” or whatever so she couldn’t leave the house to get some food or go shopping without being supervised.

_“How about homework? Studying?”_

“Homework? Done. Studying? I did the homework, doesn’t that count?” Lizzie sighed. “My room has also been cleaned and reorganized twice. This place has never looked more spotless. At least I’ve adjusted to my newest status as an inmate.” 

_“I guess sleeping isn’t the worst thing you could do.”_ Hope started the car, then pouted. _“I miss you. School’s been so boring and I’m pretty sure I’m starting to forget what you look like.”_

Lizzie shook her head at her girlfriend’s silliness. “You saw me two days ago.” 

_“Your point?”_ Hope heard Lizzie laugh, which also caused Hope to start laughing at her own joke. As their laughter died down, Hope came up with an idea.

_“Do you want to go to the Grille? I know you’re bored and your mom will probably let you go.”_

Lizzie pondered the idea for a second. She technically wasn’t supposed to leave the house without one of her parents but Caroline and Alaric trusted Hope and knew that she cared just as much as they did about Lizzie.

“Hmm. A compromise. I like it. You’ve got yourself a deal, Mikaelson.”

Hope had to contain herself from squealing. _“Alright, go get ready! I’ll pick you up in 20.”_

“Okay. Bye, Hope.” Lizzie hung up the phone and went to her parents’ bedroom to let her mom know that Hope was coming to take her out to get food. She knocked on the door and entered; she saw that Caroline was at her desk working. The mother of two had requested that all of her work be adjusted so she could work from home. Alaric didn’t have that luxury and Caroline was more than happy to spend more time at home with her daughters.

“Mom?” Lizzie asked, trying to get her mother’s attention. Caroline turned around in her chair. 

“Yes, Lizzie?” 

“Hope is coming to take me to the Grille if that’s okay.” 

Caroline thought about it for a second, then nodded. “That’s fine.” 

Lizzie moved to leave the room when her mother spoke again. 

“Speaking of Hope,” Caroline said as Lizzie turned back around. “Are you two dating?”

Lizzie’s eyes widened. She knew that there was something that she had forgotten to tell her mother; she had been too caught up in the excitement of her new relationship. Caroline stood up and went over to her daughter, putting her hands on the younger blonde’s shoulders. 

“Yes, we are,” said Lizzie hesitantly, wondering where her mother was going with this. 

Caroline nodded. “You don’t need me to give you two _the talk_ do you?”

“No!” Lizzie exclaimed. “No way...we haven’t...” When Lizzie’s words failed her she resorted to shaking her head. Caroline laughed at the bright red blush on her daughter’s face. She mostly brought up the topic to tease her daughter; she had noticed that Lizzie was walking around, giggling at her phone and sporting a dreamy look on her face. Caroline didn’t remember the last time she saw Lizzie this happy. 

“Relax, honey, I’m just messing with you.” She kissed the top of Lizzie’s head and went back over to her chair. “No, but seriously, no funny business,” Caroline added, pointing an index finger at her daughter. 

“Understood,” said Lizzie, nodding. 

“Have fun then!” 

Lizzie turned and left the room before her mom could say anything else. She got ready and as she put on her jacket, she received Hope’s text saying that she was outside. She walked downstairs and opened the front door, almost running into a small frame.

“Hope! When you said you were outside I didn’t think you were _literally_ standing outside of my house.” 

Hope shrugged. “I wanted a hug.” 

Lizzie fondly rolled her eyes and extended her arms; she felt Hope’s arms wrap around her waist as she rested her head on top of the shorter girl’s. The two stood in an embrace for a prolonged period of time. After a while Lizzie cleared her throat. 

“Uh, Hope?”

“Hmm?” Hope hummed, eyes closed and arms still wrapped around the blonde. 

“Maybe we should get going...,” Lizzie tried to break away from the hug so they could leave but was stopped by Hope hugging her tighter. 

“But I’m comfortable here.”

Lizzie chuckled. “Needy.”

Hope finally disengaged and looked up at the blonde. “Only for you.” 

“Well, of course,” Lizzie said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and sauntering over to the car. “Are you coming?” she called out. 

The girls got into the vehicle and made their way over to the center of town. They entered the Grille, ordered their food, and decided to eat on one of the benches over in town square instead of indoors. When they finished their meals, Hope turned to Lizzie. 

“Lizzie, sweetheart, my lovely girlfriend,” Hope began, taking both of Lizzie’s hands in hers. 

Lizzie narrowed her eyes. “What are you plotting?”

Hope shook her head. “Nothing bad. It’s just...” 

Lizzie could see that the girl was nervous about something. “Hope, we’re too young to get married,” Lizzie joked, trying to ease the other girl’s nerves. She gave Hope’s hands a little squeeze, encouraging her to continue. 

Hope laughed, then bit her lip. “So, my family wants to meet you,” she said nervously. When she saw the expectant look on Lizzie’s face, she explained. “I know your birthday’s coming up and you’re still not talking to Josie, so I asked my parents and they said we could have dinner at my house. Nothing fancy, and only if you want to.”

Lizzie thought about it for a moment. Her birthday had been the last thing on her mind, but with her girlfriend looking at her with hopeful eyes, she didn’t really have the heart to say no. Plus, if Hope’s family wanted to meet her and were willing to host her birthday dinner, then who was she to refuse? 

She looked back at Hope, who was growing more and more nervous by Lizzie’s prolonged silence. The blonde smiled. 

“Let’s do it.” 

Hope’s face broke out into an adorable grin; she threw herself into Lizzie’s arms, kissing the blonde and nearly knocking them both off the bench. After Lizzie regained her balance they both stood up, walking hand in hand over to the car. Lizzie looked over to Hope once they were seated in the car. 

“Do you think your family’s going to like me?” Lizzie asked shyly.

Hope looked at her incredulously. “They already love you. Why do you think they want to meet you so badly?”

Lizzie sighed. “Hearing about me and actually interacting with me are two different things. We both know I’m no good with people.”

Hope took Lizzie’s hand; she could see that the blonde’s confidence was crumbling. 

“I know people have let you down in the past, but there’s nothing wrong with _you._ Everyone else is the problem. My family can be a little intense sometimes, and I don’t want you to worry because I am not going to leave your side, okay?”

Lizzie, feeling reassured, nodded and relaxed in her seat. Hope turned the car on and drove Lizzie back to her house. Once the girls said their goodbyes Lizzie entered the house and made her way up to her room, ignoring Josie who was in the kitchen. As she was taking her jacket off she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket; apparently someone was calling her. 

“Hello?” she said, holding the phone up to her ear. 

“Hi, Lizzie. It’s Dr. Thomas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think Lizzie meeting Hope's family is going to go? 
> 
> If all goes according to plan, next chapter we're getting Dr. Thomas, the Mikaelson family/Lizzie's birthday, and even a bit of Josie doing something good for a change
> 
> Until next time!


	14. Meeting the Mikaelsons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie returns to school and therapy. It's also time to meet Hope's family

Lizzie was nervous. No - beyond nervous. 

She had woken up for school an hour before she was supposed to, unable to fall back asleep; she was surprised that she even slept at all, but here she was, sitting on her bed, mindlessly scrolling through her phone and eyeing the clock. Lizzie had spent the weekend in relative worry, considering the fact that she had to return to school on Monday and her therapist had come out of nowhere requesting to see her immediately after her classes ended. 

It was a double blow and Lizzie blamed the universe for her misfortune. 

When her alarm actually went off, Lizzie jumped, startled, deciding right then and there that time was, in fact, an illusion because she could’ve _sworn_ that she still had at least half an hour left to sulk. Reluctantly, she got ready, heading downstairs and right out the door, skipping breakfast because her stomach felt like it was in actual knots and she didn’t really want to revisit her meal later.

She hopped into her car, once again leaving Josie to fend for herself and find a way to get to their shared learning institution. She drove slowly, actually going the speed limit for once. When the brick building of teenage hormones came into Lizzie’s field of vision, she sighed, accepting her fate. She pulled into the parking lot, taking her usual spot right at the front and since she was early, she sat there for a while, contemplating. 

She wasn’t necessarily nervous about entering the building as much as she was anxious about the possibility of people finding out about her trip to the hospital and why she was there, mixed in with the defeat of having to return to the life she so desperately wanted out from. Realistically, she knew nothing had changed. None of her teachers would show her mercy, Dana was still a bitch (there was no way that demon from hell had grown a heart during the week Lizzie was gone), and Alyssa was still on her list of “Top Five People Most Likely to End Up in Jail After Graduation”. Having her sister in the same building didn’t even bring her comfort anymore; she had Hope, but her girlfriend couldn't solve all her problems. 

Lizzie exited the car and decided to enter the building prematurely, knowing that only a few people were in the school and she could just sit in her classroom instead of getting caught up in the morning rush. Once she was settled in her seat she sent a quick text to Hope, letting her know that she had made it early to school and would see her at lunch. The shorter girl had also shared Lizzie’s concerns about returning to school; the blonde reassured her that everything would be fine, even if Lizzie herself doubted it. What was the worst that could happen, though? She shook her head, deciding not to think about it and focused on getting through the day.

Once the bell rang for lunch she made a beeline for the library, wanting to sit and stew in her thoughts before Hope arrived. That’s how Hope found her, sitting and staring. She had been doing that a lot recently, Hope noticed, just staring at nothing. She wished she knew what was running through her girlfriend’s head; the last time Lizzie had kept something from her the blonde nearly died. 

Lizzie was too busy overthinking to notice Hope taking a seat next to her. When she did come back to reality she looked over to her right and jumped a little when she saw the auburn-haired girl.

“Good lord, Hope. When did you learn how to teleport?” 

“Sorry, babe. I got here a few minutes ago.”

Lizzie sighed as she took her lunch out of her backpack and Hope took the opportunity to analyze Lizzie’s face. There was nothing there that Hope should be worried about, just plain old exhaustion. She knew that this environment wasn’t good for Lizzie; it was like climbing out of a shark tank only to be tossed back in. During the week Lizzie was home she seemed carefree and _happy._ Hope loved that side of her and hated seeing the taller girl try to carry the weight of societal rejection. She wanted to help take some of the burden off, but she couldn’t. 

Lunch went by way too quickly for Lizzie’s liking; the two girls had spent the last half hour talking - well, more like Hope talking animatedly about her art project while Lizzie listened intently, admiring her girlfriend’s features and happy that Hope had found something that she was passionate about. As usual, they parted, with Hope giving Lizzie a gentle kiss and the blonde in turn reassuring her that she would text Hope after her therapy session.

The rest of the day had been uneventful, and Lizzie, being somewhat superstitious, took that as a bad sign. She was proven correct at the end of the day when she was unceremoniously shoved into a row of lockers as she was heading towards her own. Someone grabbed her by the shirt, and she was suddenly face to face with none other than Alyssa Chang. Alyssa was wearing a nasal cast, probably due to the fact that Lizzie had left her in a bloody heap the last time the two crossed paths. Lizzie hadn’t even spared a second thought about Alyssa, and almost felt bad about breaking the girl’s nose. Almost. That wasn’t even a fraction of the pain Lizzie had felt over the years.

“Well if it isn’t my best friend in the entire world,” said Alyssa in a sickeningly sweet voice. Lizzie fought the urge to scoff. 

“I missed you last week,” Alyssa continued. “I wanted to return the favor,” she said, pointing at her nose. Lizzie tried in vain to walk away; she was cornered.

“Look, I’m sorry about the nose,” Lizzie muttered, not really sorry. She was going to be late for therapy if she kept entertaining Alyssa.

“Sorry’s not gonna cut it, Saltzman,” Alyssa told her; she shoved Lizzie again for good measure. As she opened her mouth to say something else that would irritate Lizzie, she was interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“Leave her alone,” came the stern tone of Josie Saltzman. Lizzie had to raise her eyebrows at that. Her sister didn’t have much bite to her voice, but those eyes could freeze a bitch. In this case, said bitch was Alyssa Chang. 

“Josie!” exclaimed Alyssa, slightly backing away from where she had pressed Lizzie against the wall. “Why are you defending this loser?” 

“That’s my sister,” Josie said, as if it were an obvious fact. 

If Lizzie hadn’t been confused as to why her sister came to her defense she would have laughed at the sheer dumbstruck look on Alyssa’s face. The idiot looked back and forth between the twins several times before it stuck. 

“You’ve got to be kidding. How can _you_ be related to _that?”_ she sneered, pointing at Lizzie. 

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “There are worse people to be related to,” she said, making it a point to look Alyssa up and down.

That seemed to infuriate the girl, immediately forgetting Josie’s presence and getting up in Lizzie’s face. 

“Shut it, freak.” She kneed Lizzie's stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and as she raised a hand to hit the blonde, Josie caught her arm, whirling Alyssa around to face her and punching the bully, a sickening pop confirming that Alyssa’s nose had broken again. Josie grabbed her sister’s sleeve and dragged her outside. They both sat on a bench as Lizzie regulated her breathing. The air between the two was awkward; Josie was the first to break the silence. 

“Are you okay?” she asked timidly. 

Lizzie nodded. “Thanks,” she said, not quite looking at her sister. “For what you did back there.” 

Josie turned to fully face her twin. “I’m sorry, Lizzie. I really am. For everything. For not being there when you needed me, for being a crappy sister, for choosing Penelope. All of it.” The brunette put her face in her hands, beginning to shake. “I was so selfish. I could’ve lost you. I was too much of a coward to come see you in the hospital.” 

Lizzie put her hand on Josie’s shoulder; the brunette looked up, eyes shining. 

“I’m going to do better. I promise,” Josie stated to the blonde.

Lizzie nodded, standing up. “I appreciate that.” She checked her watch. If she left now she’d be right on time for her appointment. 

Josie stood up as well, wiping her eyes. “I’ll see you at home?”

Lizzie smiled. “Sure.” She watched as her sister trudged her way back toward the school. 

“Josie?” Lizzie called out. Josie turned back around. “You throw a mean punch,” Lizzie said, smirking. Josie blushed a little and entered the building. Lizzie hadn’t quite forgiven her sister for absolutely everything, but it was a start, and if Josie kept her word and tried to be better, then the easier it would be for both of them.

Lizzie speed-walked to the car, started it, and made the journey over to her therapist; this time she went back to her normal habit of going over the speed limit. The nerves began to set in again the closer she got to the building. She had no idea what Dr. Thomas was going to say to her. Lizzie didn’t know what she preferred: having an angry, sad, or disappointed doctor. Her muscle memory took over, leading her right up to the receptionist’s desk, where the lady kindly greeted her as Lizzie signed in. Lizzie sat down in one of the chairs, waiting to be called. She had nearly fallen asleep when the receptionist opened the door to Dr. Thomas’ office and told her to come in. She got up, slightly trembling, and walked into what she had once considered her safe space. It still was, but depending on how this appointment would go, she didn’t know if she could come back. When she went in she didn’t initially see the doctor, but the coffee machine was back, and that gave Lizzie a small bit of comfort.

“Ah, Lizzie!” greeted the therapist cheerfully, standing up from her desk in the back of the room. “Feel free to sit down, or get some coffee. Whatever you prefer.” 

Lizzie chose the latter, hoping that a hot drink would calm her nerves a little. Once the coffee was done she sat down in the chair, where Dr. Thomas was already waiting, pen and notebook in hand. 

“Why do you look like you’re walking to your execution?” the therapist asked. She flinched a little. “That was probably the wrong choice of words considering what happened.”

Lizzie shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “A lot’s happened recently.” 

“I figured.” Dr. Thomas sighed. “I should’ve seen it coming.”

Lizzie frowned. “Even I didn’t see it coming. I had a shitty week in addition to my shitty life and things kept piling up until I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Things aren’t always that simple, Lizzie. I have to apologize. I know you probably felt abandoned and I should’ve checked in on you. My question is, why didn’t you call me? We both know I was available.” She said that last part with a grin.

Lizzie bit her lip. Why _didn’t_ she call the doctor? She struggled to come up with an answer. 

“I was just tired. I didn’t want to just burn my bridges but rather destroy them so there would be no turning back. I didn’t really talk to anyone before doing it. I didn’t want to be a bother.” 

_That’s usually the case,_ solemnly thought Dr. Thomas. She thought about her friend, and how happy he seemed before he died. Lizzie hadn’t exactly been happy, but at least she didn’t try to hide her emotions. When the therapist had received Lizzie’s file from the hospital her heart broke; she had failed her patient. She made sure Lizzie was the first patient she saw when she got back.

“Do you regret doing it, Lizzie?” It was a heavy question, but Dr. Thomas knew the girl would answer honestly. 

Lizzie took a sip of her coffee; she had thought about that once or twice within the past week, but she never had to think for long. She already knew the answer

“No,” the blonde said simply. “Some good did come out of it.”

“And what’s that?” 

“My twin is actually making an effort to be a better sister, my mom is home, and,” Lizzie hesitated, blushing a little. “I’m dating Hope now.” 

Dr. Thomas couldn’t help but smile. Lizzie needed someone like Hope to keep her grounded. 

Lizzie sighed. “What if I can’t make her happy?” she asked suddenly. “I can’t even make myself happy.”

“That’s not up to you to decide, Lizzie. She’s seen your very worst and she still chose to be here by your side. Take it one day at a time; if there’s a problem, I’m sure she’ll talk to you about it.” 

Lizzie nodded. Hope wasn’t the type to give up on people, and Lizzie hoped that she wouldn’t be the first. The blonde frowned, suddenly thinking of something. 

“How are you here?” 

Dr. Thomas raised her eyebrow. “You didn’t actually think they’d fire me, did you? Nope, I’m _way_ too good.”

Lizzie let out a laugh. She was glad that the doctor wasn’t mad at her for what she did. The rest of the appointment went by smoothly and it ended as soon as it began. Lizzie said goodbye to Dr. Thomas and drove home, spending the afternoon texting Hope. She and Josie even made dinner together. All in all it was a good day for Lizzie, and not the abominable nightmare that she had thought it would be. Next week would be her birthday dinner with the Mikaelsons, and she was glad for something to look forward to.

* * *

It was Saturday evening, the day of Lizzie’s birthday. She had spent the day with her family, celebrating with Josie and giving their parents headaches by joking about all of the illegal things they would do now that they were adults. Lizzie hadn’t spent this much time with her entire family in a while, and even her Aunt Bonnie stopped by to give the twins their presents. As the day winded down, she began to get ready for her dinner with Hope’s family. From what her girlfriend had told her, the Mikaelsons were a bit eccentric, had a lot of stories to tell, and if they were anything like Hope, Lizzie expected them to be very nice. 

She knocked on the door to the mansion, nerves all over the place. She felt a little self-conscious; a family that she had never met were busying themselves to accommodate Lizzie. Surely they would have better things to do on a weekend, right? Before Lizzie’s thoughts could spiral, the door opened, revealing the small stature of Hope Mikaelson. 

“Hi, baby,” Hope greeted softly, giving Lizzie the most obvious pair of heart eyes. “Happy birthday.” 

Lizzie leaned down to kiss the shorter girl. “Thank you.”

Lizzie tried to peek inside and Hope realized that she hadn’t invited the blonde in yet. She stepped aside to let the taller girl in and nudged her a little when she hesitated. The girls stepped inside, and as soon as Hope closed the door they were met by two tall, blonde women. 

“Lizzie, this is my Aunt Rebekah,” Hope said, pointing to the woman on the right. “And my Aunt Freya.” She pointed to the woman on the left. 

“It’s so lovely to finally meet you, darling,” said Rebekah, pulling Lizzie into a hug. 

When it was Freya’s turn, she said, “Yes, we’ve heard so much about you.” She tilted her head up and practically yelled, “Hope _never_ stops talking about you.” 

Hope looked at her aunt with an unamused expression. “You didn’t have to yell. Lizzie and I are both right here.”

“Yes, but Kol wanted a cue to come downstairs and I also promised him that I would embarrass you at some point during the night. It’s called hitting two birds with one stone, my wonderful niece.” 

Rebekah giggled. “The night’s not over yet.” 

Freya turned to her sister. “Remember those love notes you found in Hope’s room?”

“Aunt Rebekah! You went into my room?” 

The tall blonde shrugged. “I wanted to borrow that one shirt that I like. It’s not my fault you didn’t clean your room beforehand.” 

Hope sighed and Lizzie nudged her. 

“You wrote love notes?” she asked, trying not to laugh. 

Hope turned red. “I...I wanted to express my feelings!” 

“Oh you expressed them alright,” muttered Rebekah. 

“They were so cute!” interjected Freya. “When Rebekah showed them to me I nearly cried.”

Lizzie was about to say something when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. “Who’s that?” she asked, turning and seeing a little boy in the back of the room playing with blocks. 

“That’s my son, Nik,” answered Freya. 

“Lizzie, I have to talk to my aunts for a second. Would you like to introduce yourself to Nik?” Hope asked, smiling. 

Lizzie laughed. “Sure, Hope.” 

After Lizzie left, Hope turned to her aunts with a questioning look on her face. The two women turned to each other, made eye contact for a few seconds, then turned back to Hope.

“Hope, she’s stunning.” 

“Absolutely gorgeous.” 

“Those love notes of yours were right,” said Rebekah, smirking. “Her eyes _are_ as blue as the sea.”

Hope crossed her arms. “Just know that I’m putting up with this for _her.”_

At that moment Kol walked up next to his sisters, a drink in hand. “Careful, Hope,” he said, taking a sip. “Nik might just steal your girl away.” He pointed behind his niece. 

The four of them looked over and Hope nearly melted at the sight. Her younger cousin looked mesmerized as Lizzie stacked the blocks higher and higher, ultimately towering over the boy. He giggled and knocked them over, with Lizzie catching a few before they hit the ground and made a mess. Lizzie looked over and gave Hope a shy smile, and the auburn-haired girl nearly passed out. 

“Oh, look how she handles him!” Hayley exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen. “She’s good with children, isn’t that right, sweetheart?” She winked at her daughter. 

Hope groaned internally. It seemed as though her family had made a secret pact to embarrass her as much as humanly possible. She wasn’t actually annoyed, of course. Seeing Lizzie get along with her family was all that really mattered to her. 

“I’m going to need some help bringing out the food,” requested Hayley, returning to the kitchen.

“I’ll help,” said Rebekah.

“Count me in,” said Kol, chugging the rest of his drink. Freya followed her siblings as well.

Hope walked over to Lizzie and kneeled down next to her, taking a block out of the blonde’s hand and replacing it with her own. 

“Are you having a good time so far?” she asked. 

Lizzie nodded earnestly. “Yes, your cousin’s great company.” The two girls laughed. “But seriously,” Lizzie continued. “Your family’s really nice.”

Hope put her head on Lizzie’s shoulder. The front door opened and Hope’s father and uncle walked in. 

“We’re home!” Klaus bellowed. 

“Do you have to do that every time, Niklaus?” asked Elijah, covering his ears. 

The brothers turned as Hope walked over with Lizzie. Klaus’ face broke out into a huge grin. 

“So this is the wonderful girl courting my daughter? How’s your mother, by the way?”

Seeing the confused look on Lizzie’s face, Klaus explained. “Caroline and I were good friends back in college. I reached out to her when I found out that we were moving to Mystic Falls.” 

Hope raised her eyebrows at the connection. _What a small world,_ she thought. 

Lizzie nodded. “She’s doing fine. Always busy, though.” 

Klaus laughed. “Sounds like her. Anyway, I’m going to go change.” He kissed Hope’s head and left. 

“It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth,” said Elijah, smiling. “I also have to go change. I’ll be down soon for the festivities.” 

Once he was gone, Lizzie turned to Hope. 

“Did he just call me by my full name?” 

Hope shrugged. “My uncle’s a “full name” kind of guy.”

“Does he call you Hopeful then?” Lizzie asked, feigning innocence. 

“Ha! Good one, Lizzie!” they heard Rebekah yell from the kitchen. The girls burst into laughter. It wasn’t long until they were all seated at the dinner table.

The evening was filled with the Mikaelsons getting to know Lizzie, as well as jokes and laughter, most of which were at Hope’s expense. 

“Remember when Hope fell down an entire flight of stairs?” Klaus reminisced. 

“That’s my favorite niece.”

“I’m your only niece!”

And later on: 

“Hope, can I see those love notes?” Lizzie asked, after Rebekah had referenced them, yet again. 

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They’re embarrassing.”

“Hope, we’re literally dating.” 

The Mikaelsons howled with laughter. Even little Nik was giggling from his high chair. Hope had tried, and failed, to maintain a grumpy expression, but couldn’t when she saw that Lizzie was also joining in on the fun. 

Once everyone was done with their food and the adults were cleaning up, Hope took the opportunity to take Lizzie out to the balcony. 

“Thank you for tonight,” Lizzie said shyly, turning to Hope. 

“You don’t have to thank me.” 

“Yes I do. I have a lot to thank you for. For being my friend, my best friend, and now my girlfriend. For being nice to me, and giving me a chance. You never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself. You changed my life, Hope Mikaelson.” 

Lizzie reached out and cupped Hope’s cheek and looked deeply into her blue eyes. 

“I love you.”

Hope leaned into Lizzie’s touch, getting lost in the blonde’s crystal blue irises, illuminated by the moonlight. Her heart soared; with her family inside and Lizzie looking at her so tenderly, Hope believed that this is what true happiness felt like. She reached up, tugging Lizzie down to give her a long, slow kiss, filled with everything that she had felt since she met the blonde. Hope broke the kiss, leaning her forehead on Lizzie’s. 

“I love you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. We had a lot going on here, huh?
> 
> Next chapter is the epilogue :( 
> 
> I'm already sad about saying goodbye to these characters


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter! Oh man, has this been a rollercoaster, am I right?  
> Enjoy!

“Lizzie? I’m home,” Hope called out. When Lizzie didn’t immediately respond Hope frowned and walked through the hallway into the living room, where the blonde was standing on the second highest rung of a step ladder, painting the wall. Hope took a look around; Lizzie had nearly finished painting the entire house. 

“Babe, what is this?” 

Lizzie, startled by Hope’s sudden presence, nearly fell off the ladder. Hope made it just in time to steady her girlfriend by holding onto her waist. Once Lizzie was stable, she climbed down the ladder and greeted Hope with a kiss. 

“To answer your question,” Lizzie began. “I painted the house.” 

Hope rolled her eyes fondly. “Clearly. I thought we were supposed to do that this weekend?” 

  
“Well, I took my day off as an opportunity to surprise you. This way we can relax this weekend and do... _ other  _ activities,” Lizzie said with a wink. Hope noticed that she was wearing Hope’s white painting shirt and a pair of overalls; her hair was in a ponytail and her face and arms had smudges of paint on them. She looked absolutely adorable.

“Do you need any help?” Hope asked, putting her stuff down on the couch. 

Lizzie shook her head and climbed back up the ladder, continuing what she had been doing before. “This is the last wall. Maybe you can start getting dinner ready for when Josie and Penelope come over?”

Yes, _the_ Penelope Park. When Lizzie had found out that her sister and Penelope shared some college classes together, and that Josie still had feelings for the raven-haired girl, Lizzie figured that she couldn’t stand in the way of her sister’s happiness anymore. At the time, it had been a solid seven years since Lizzie and Penelope interacted and since Lizzie was now a fully grown adult who had come to terms with the horrors of her past, she had decided to bite the bullet and have a talk with Penelope. The green-eyed girl profusely apologized, and said that she had removed herself from Dana’s clique because Dana had taken things too far. Lizzie had graciously accepted her apology, and Josie and Penelope gave their relationship a second shot, this time with Lizzie’s blessing. She saw how happy Josie was and how well Penelope treated her, and decided that it was one of the best decisions she had ever made. She still had been slightly skittish around Penelope, but the more Lizzie got to know her, she realized that they were alike in many ways. Their friendship had evolved to that of witty banter and oftentimes one annoying the other. Even though Lizzie had reassured Penelope many times that everything was fine between them, Penelope still sometimes felt bad about it. She didn’t have to, but she always made sure to spend a little extra on Lizzie’s Christmas presents, just because she could. It was a small gesture of goodwill, which Lizzie appreciated. There were times like tonight where Josie and Penelope would come to Lizzie and Hope’s house and vice versa; all they did was play dumb board games and spend quality time together. 

As for Josie, she never broke her promise to be a better sister. When Alyssa or Dana or anyone else glared daggers in Lizzie’s direction, Josie was there to glare right back. It led to a couple of confrontations in the parking lot and the school bathroom (one particular incident nearly got the sisters banned from graduation), but Josie didn’t care. Lizzie liked this version of Josie - slightly overprotective, aggressive when needed, but she was still Josie; shy, sweet, and timid. When college came around, most of Josie’s friend group, with the exception of Landon, had stayed in Mystic Falls, so she (along with Hope) hadn’t hesitated to drag Lizzie around to hang out with them. 

Hope went to their room to change out of her work clothes, then started making dinner while Lizzie finished painting. They had finished around the same time and decided to shower together to “save time”, according to Hope. About an hour later, Josie and Penelope arrived, desserts and games in hand. The four of them spent hours playing several games of Bingo, Monopoly, and Uno, the latter of which left Lizzie and Penelope ready to host their own boxing match, though with more giggles; they even decided to prank call Caroline at one point. During the early hours of the morning, with Josie and Penelope asleep in the guest room and Hope also dozing with her head in Lizzie’s lap, the blonde’s thoughts began to wander. 

She took a look around the living room, newly painted walls adorned with pictures of Lizzie, Hope, and their families. She thought about how long it had taken her to get to a point of stability. Lizzie had been quick to judge herself when she was younger, believing herself to be broken and irredeemable, pushing others away before they had a chance to turn their backs on her. She had blamed herself for things that she couldn’t control, and she almost met her end because of it. 

It was during college when things began to start going right for her. Even with her underdeveloped social skills she still managed to make friends, finally coming to terms with the fact that _she_ was never the problem, just like Hope had said. Every lie she had told herself, every lie that even she believed, went right out the window, lifting a veil that Lizzie had spent years hiding behind. It was a difficult truth, which she had spent a couple of therapy sessions trying to dissect, but a truth nonetheless. She tried not to think about all the years of her childhood that had been taken from her, because it was times like tonight where she proved to herself that she _could_ be happy, and that she had plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time. 

Lizzie felt Hope slightly shift and smiled. After graduating from college the two decided to rent an apartment, where they lived freely and happily for a couple of years. It was Hope who had first brought up the idea of purchasing a house. It was a no-brainer; Lizzie would follow Hope anywhere she wanted to go, and Hope couldn’t fathom the thought of being with anyone else. So, the auburn-haired girl decided to surprise Lizzie on her birthday, giving her a box with their new house keys in it. It was needless to say that they both cried that day, ecstatic that they were finally one step closer to achieving their happily ever after. They had found fulfilling careers and were ready to begin growing their family.

What amazed Lizzie sometimes was the fact that Hope never left her. Even when Lizzie became insecure, when she was being difficult, or when her bipolar disorder became too much, Hope still stayed. Lizzie, during moments of weakness where she questioned the validity of her self-worth, had tried to give Hope every reason to leave her, and  _ insisted  _ on finding someone who wasn’t damaged. Hope always refused; she knew better than to believe the lies that possessed the blonde. It took Lizzie a long time to believe Hope when she said that only Lizzie could make her happy. 

She was broken out of her thoughts by a hand cupping her cheek. Looking down, she saw Hope blinking sleepily up at her. 

“Let’s go to bed, okay?” 

Lizzie nodded, and Hope got up, extending a hand to the blonde and leading them both to bed. Hope curled up against the taller girl’s side, and after a few minutes, began to breathe steadily. Lizzie kissed her head. Sometimes she thought that all of it was too good to be true; she expected one day to wake up back to a time where she had never met Hope. The thought deeply upset her. 

The fact of the matter is that she was wrapped up in a love that she never thought she’d receive; the love of her life was currently nuzzled into her chest, and no matter how many times they recreated this exact scene, it still warmed Lizzie’s heart. She felt lucky that she had found someone who had accepted her, ugly parts and all; Hope was kind, patient, and understanding. That kind of love was hard to find. Before Hope, Lizzie had never encountered someone who exhibited all of these traits at once, especially not towards her. Her last thought before falling asleep was that she was happy to be alive; she stayed, kept herself breathing, for Hope, and Hope only. The shorter girl gave Lizzie the strength to keep going, even when it felt like the universe was against her. 

And for that, Lizzie was grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you liked the ending. I just HAD to include domestic Hizzie 
> 
> Thank you all for reading this! Special shoutout to those who left comments and kudos, and those who followed me from my last fic :D
> 
> Fun fact: Alyssa did, in fact, end up in jail after high school just like Lizzie predicted. It was for a minor offense, so she wasn't there long, but boy was Lizzie jumping for joy when she found out. 
> 
> I have a couple of projects in the works. I may publish a oneshot soon but we'll see, or I may skip ahead to my next fic! Let me know what you guys would like to read next
> 
> The next story is another AU; celestials and sin, that's the only hint I'm giving you, so stay tuned :)
> 
> Once again, thank you all. As always, yell at me in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


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